Personal profile
Overview
Duncan is Lecturer in Classical Archaeology at the University of Manchester. His research focuses on the relationship between environment, technology and society in the past, especially in the ancient Mediterranean and in Australia. He is particularly interested in how past and Indigenous practices can help us manage this relationship today. Duncan's research interests are focused on the intersection between Roman society, environment and technology, which he investigates using Latin and Greek texts, archaeological evidence, and geoscientific analyses of limestone deposits.
Duncan has current projects on the climate, flooding and water management in ancient Italy and floodplain management and carbon storage in Australia's channel country, as well as how Roman mortar developed and why it is so durable. Duncan's long-term research agenda is a holistic, large-scale comparison of key factors – including climatic and environmental variability, population dynamics, land use, disease, instability and governance – influencing Rome's long history, using quantitative estimates (proxies) in a humanities-based interpretative framework. Duncan has previously excavated in Italy, Israel and Australia.
Areas of expertise
- DE The Mediterranean Region. The Greco-Roman World
- Roman history
- ancient technology
- QE Geology
- Carbonate sedimentology
- CC Archaeology
- Roman archaeology
- Australian Indigenous archaeology
Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms
- John Rylands Research Institute and Library
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
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SDG 6 Clean Water and Sanitation -
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure -
SDG 11 Sustainable Cities and Communities -
SDG 13 Climate Action -
SDG 14 Life Below Water
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Connectivity and change in the waterproofing technology of ancient sicily: evidence from Selinunte and Agrigento
McLennan, R. & Keenan-Jones, D., Feb 2026, In: Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. 18, 32.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Diachronic change in imperial-era waterproof lining technology: Evidence from Pompeii, the Bay of Naples and Rome
McLennan, R., Keenan-Jones, D., McGowan, G., Zanzi, G. & Buonfiglio, M. L., 1 Jan 2026, In: Journal of Archaeological Science. 185, 106433.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Settlement scaling theory, aqueducts and the Roman Empire
Hanson, J. W., Keenan-Jones, D. & Motta, D., 1 Apr 2026, In: Antiquity. 100, 410, p. 372-387Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Urban development and long-term flood risk and resilience: Experiences over time and across cultures. Cases from Asia, North America, Europe and Australia
Keenan-Jones, D. C., Serra-Llobet, A., He, H. & Kondolf, G. M., 1 Feb 2025, In: Urban Studies. 62, 3, p. 469-486 18 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Fish Traps, Seed-Grinding and Food Stores: Reconstructing Complex Mithaka Indigenous Economic and Water Management Technologies
Kerkhove, R., Silcock, J., Williams, D., Kotarba-Morley, A., Keenan-Jones, D., Wright, N., Morley, M. W., Gorringe, J., Scholz, G., Lowe, K. M., Cemre Üstünkaya, M., Stephens, S., Moss, P. T. & Westaway, M., 2024, The Oxford Handbook of Global Indigenous Archaeologies. Smith, C. (ed.). Oxford University Press, (Oxford Handbooks).Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open Access