Miguel Sanchez Morquecho

I am a PhD candidate in the History Department studying the history of ancient Greece and the greater Mediterranean. My dissertation focuses on the careers of different types of diplomatic messengers from various Mediterranean states and empires, from the eight century B.C. to the first century B.C. By examining the experiences of these diplomatic agents, I hope to uncover transcultural customs that were shared by communities with distinct languages, forms of government, and overall traditions. Such customs were the basis for what I call a "diplomatic culture," to which states adhered to facilitate diplomatic interactions among themselves and to transmit desired messages to one another.

My other interests include the development of Greek ethnic identities through contact and exchange with other ancient cultures. I am especially interested in this topic as it pertains to the Greek colonies of Sicily and Magna Graecia and to their interactions with the western Phoenicians and the native populations of those regions from the eighth century BCE to the crystallization of Roman conquest in 146 BCE. 

B.A.  UC Santa Barbara