Michael Leese completed his Ph.D. in the University of Michigan’s Interdepartmental Program in Greek and Roman History, where he also received an M.A. in Ancient Greek. Previously, he earned a B.A. in Classics and an M.A. in Latin education at the University of Connecticut as well as an M.A. in Classics at the University of British Columbia. After serving as the first postdoctoral associate with the Responsible Governance and Sustainable Citizenship Project at UNH in the Department of Classics, Humanities, and Italian Studies, he joined the Department of History in 2015 where is is now Associate Professor.
He has served as Director of the UNH-in-Greece Summer Study Abroad Program since 2022.
Research interests focus on the economic history of the ancient Greek world, as well as the evolution of capitalism throughout world history.
His first book, Making Money in Ancient Athens, was published with the University of Michigan Press (Ann Arbor, 2021).
A second monograph is under contract with Brill, tentatively entitled "Nicias and the Cosmological Significance of Wealth Acquisition in Ancient Greece."
A co-edited volume (with Charles Bartlett of the University of Miami), Law, Institutions and Economic Performance in Classical Antiquity, is now under advance contract with the University of Michigan Press, and should appear in 2025.
Another larger, long-term research project, focuses on the effects of ancient Greek institutions on economic growth and development. This last book project has been awarded a Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship from Harvard University, an NEH Summer Stipend, and a Faculty Fellowship from the Center for Humanities at UNH.
Family law and institutions such as marriage and dowry are the focus of several articles, which explore the role of women in the fabric of the economic system.
Courses Taught
- CLAS 511: Special Studies in Greek Hist
- CLAS 686: UNH in Greece Study Abroad
- CLAS/HIST 675/873: History of Ancient Greece
- CLAS/HIST 676/876: Topics Ancient Greek History
- CLAS/HIST 677: History of Ancient Rome
- CLAS/HIST 678/878: Topics Ancient Roman History
- HIST 421: World History to 16th Century
- HIST 440E: Honors/Drugs, Addict Wrld Hist
- HIST 440J: Hon/Capitalism and Inequality
- HIST 676/876: Class&Hellenistic Greek Worlds
- HIST 678/878: Roman Empire
- HIST 690/890: Sem/Rich vs. Poor
- HIST 695: Independent Study
- HIST 797/897: Colloquium
- LATN 606: Readings in Latin Literature
- LATN 755: Advanced Studies Silver Age
Research Interests
- Ancient Greek economy and economics
- Greco-Roman history
- History of world capitalism
Selected Publications
Leese, M. S. (2018). Lysias and a Forgotten Law on the Administration of Orphans’ Estates in Classical Athens. Dike: rivista di storia del diritto greco ed ellenistico, 19, 107-125.
Bachrach, B. S., Bachrach, D. S., & Leese, M. (2017). Deeds of the Bishops of Cambrai, Translation and Commentary. Routledge.
Leese, M. S. (2017). An Economic Perspective on Marriage Alliances in Ancient Greece. In D. P. Kehoe, & T. A. J. McGinn (Eds.), Ancient Law, Ancient Society. (pp. 32-45). Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
Kapêloi and Economic Rationality in Fourth-Century BCE Athens (2016). Retrieved from https://classicalstudies.org/
