Kathryn Langenfeld
Assistant Professor
Contact
Department of History
Office: Hardin 008
Email: klangen@clemson.edu
Education
Ph.D., Classical Studies, Duke University; Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow, Rice University; B.A. Classical Studies, University of Missouri; B.A. History, University of Missouri
Courses
Ancient Rome, Ancient Mediterranean
Research Interests
Roman Empire; Mediterranean World; World History; Historiography/Historical Theory & Method; Archaeology; Art and Architecture; Material Culture
Dr. Langenfeld specializes in the history of ancient Rome and the ancient Mediterranean. Her research uses history, archaeology, and literature to examine the political instability of the late Roman Empire. Her article and book-length projects investigate issues of political disillusionment, forgery, censorship, and espionage within the Roman imperial courts of the third and fourth centuries CE. Dr. Langenfeld also has a background in archaeological excavations, field research, and study abroad programs, and has published in the field of Roman Epigraphy.
Dr. Langenfeld offers a wide range of courses in Greek and Roman Civilization, Medieval history, and the role of frauds and forgeries in ancient and modern history. Recent classes include HIST 3550: The Roman World, HIST 3540: The Greek World, HIST 1720: The West and the World, Part 1, and HIST 4900: Fakes and Forgeries in Ancient and Modern History. Her classes highlight the modern relevance of ancient and medieval history and provide students with skills to analyze ancient texts and material culture as part of broader political, literary, and cultural contexts.
Her teaching and outreach to students was recognized by Clemson's College of Arts, Architecture, and Humanities in 2021, when she was awarded the The John B. & Thelma A. Gentry Award for Teaching Excellence in the Humanities.
Dr. Langenfeld also currently serves as the Faculty director of the Department's undergraduate History Club, which provides students with opportunities to build a community and gain pre-career training and insights from one another, faculty, and alumni.
Selected Professional Works
Journal Articles & Book Chapters (Published)
“Ancient Texts and Sibylline Truths: A Reflection on Forged Documentary Evidence and its Value in the Historia Augusta.” In Beyond Deceit: Valuing Forgery and Longing for Antiquity, edited by S. McGill and J. Hopkins. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2023, 181-203.
“Imperial Crisis Response and the Antiochene Magic and Treason Trials of 372 CE.” Studies in Late Antiquity 7 (2): 242-285.
“Reflexivity and Digital Praxis: Reconstructing Ostia’s Networks” in Data Science, Human Science, and Ancient Gods: Conversations in Theory and Method, eds. S. Blakely and M. Daniels. Co-authored with L.A. Mazurek & R.B. Gorham. Lockwood Press, 2023, 175-204.
“Epigraphic Permanence and Ephemerality: Imperial Propaganda and Memory Construction at Ostia’s Caserma dei Vigili,” in Inscriptions and the Epigraphic Habit. Brill Studies in Greek and Roman Epigraphy, vol. 18, ed. R. Benefiel and C. Keesling, Brill Press, 2023, 232-254.
Journal Articles & Book Chapters (Accepted or Submitted)
“Fraud and Forgery in the Court of Constantius II: The Silvanus Affair of 355 C.E.” Journal article, accepted by Historia: Zeitschrift für Alte Geschichte Feb. 2024, expected forthcoming 2025.
Conference Presentations (Delivered)
“Shorthand Girls and Secret Missives: Women’s Contribution to Late Roman Intelligence Operations” at the annual meeting of the Association of Ancient Historians. Tallahassee, FL April 20-22, 2023.
“Forged Letters and Court Intrigue in the Reign of Constantius II” at the joint Society for Classical Studies and Archaeological Institute of America Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA Jan. 5-8th, 2022.
“Inscriptions and Permanence: Memory, Spoliation, and Social Networks at Ostia and Dion” at the North American Society for Greek and Latin Epigraphy (NACGLE) conference at Georgetown University Jan. 3-7th, 2020. Co-authored with L. Mazurek.
“’So Great was the Terror’: The Terror and Treason Trials in Rome and Antioch.” The 13th Biennial Colloquium for Shifting Frontiers in Late Antiquity. March 14-18, 2019. Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA.
“Conceptualizing Connectivity in Ostia Antica: the 2018 Field Season of the Ostia Connectivity Project,” co-authored with C. Concannon, L. Mazurek, A. Meyer, and R.B. Gorham. The Archaeological Institute of America Annual Meeting, Jan. 3-6, 2019. San Diego, CA.
“Imperial Spies and Intercepted Letters in the Late Roman Empire.” Society of Classical Studies Annual Meeting, Jan. 4-7, 2018. Boston, MA.
