Expertise

Roman Archaeology; Roman Provinces; Archaeology and History of the Eastern Mediterranean and Southwest Asia; Urbanism; Water Technology, Use, and Consumption

Biography

Clare Rasmussen is a classical archaeologist specializing in the archaeology of the Roman Provinces. Her research focuses on water, urbanism, and infrastructure in the Roman world, particularly in Southwest Asia and the Eastern Mediterranean. She currently excavates in Iraqi Kurdistan with the Gird-I Matrab Archaeological Project (GMAP).

Clare's current research investigates the planning, design, and implementation of water systems in the Roman Decapolis, a micro-region situated at a cultural crossroads in the Roman Levant. Her research examines not only how water systems were planned, constructed, and managed, but also how water was integrated into urban life, including its use in religious spaces and venues for public spectacle, such as theaters.

Clare earned her B.A. in Anthropology and Classical Archaeology from the University of Michigan in 2015, her M.A. in Classics from the University of Arizona, and her Ph.D. in Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology from Bryn Mawr College in 2026.

Selected Publications

• Palermo, Rocco, Clare Rasmussen, Michele La Porta, and Eleonora Franco. "Exploring the Hellenistic period in North Mesopotamia landscape studies and excavations at Gird-I Matrab (Iraqi Kurdistan)." Parthica: incontri di culture nel mondo antico: 26, 2024 (2024): 9-28.

Courses Taught

• Race and Ethnicity in the Ancient Mediterranean