Personal profile
Overview
I am Lecturer in Hellenistic Culture at the University of Manchester. I am also a researcher on the ERC-funded CHANGE Project at the Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents, Oxford, studying the monetary economy of ancient Anatolia. Originally from London, I completed my doctorate at the University of Oxford, and have previously held positions in Oxford and Cambridge.
Research interests
My research explores the political and economic history of the ancient Greek world. I’m especially interested in empires and their complex interaction with smaller political communities. While I am first and foremost a historian, and make use of a broad range of sources, I also have specialist expertise in studying Greek inscriptions and coins.
My first book, Athenian Power in the Fifth Century BC (Oxford University Press, 2024), provides an innovative analysis of the fifth-century BC Athenian empire, a central topic in ancient Greek history. Challenging orthodox approaches, which have been mostly been monolithic and focused on Athens, the book argues that Athenian power was flexible and a matter of negotiation between the Athenians and their subjects. It brings subject communities to centre stage as active agents, and considers how the Athenian empire operated in different regions. I’m currently working on two collaborative books on Athenian history – one on interdisciplinary approaches to the Athenian empire, and another on the late fifth-century anti-democratic revolutions at Athens.
I am also a researcher on the CHANGE project, funded by the European Research Council, a collaboration between Oxford, the British Museum and the Staatliche Museum in Berlin. The project researches the monetary and economic history of ancient Anatolia (modern-day Turkey), from the invention of coinage to the absorption of the region by the Roman empire, through the creation of big data-sets of numismatic and epigraphic evidence. For my part, I’m writing a second monograph on the impact of different imperial powers on the monetary economies of cities in Anatolia, and I'm co-editing a book of essays on monetary economies across the Hellenistic world.
Teaching
In Manchester, I teach a range of courses in ancient Greek and Roman history, including convening Constructing Archaic Greek History and Cities and Citizens, both for first-year undergraduate students. I also contribute to Athens and Attica and Roman Women in 22 Objects for Levels 2 and 3.
Education/Academic qualification
Doctor of Philosophy, Oxford University
Award Date: 10 Dec 2019
External positions
Postdoctoral Researcher, Oxford University
2021 → 2024
Lecturer, Oxford University
2020 → …
Lecturer, University of Cambridge
2020 → 2021
Areas of expertise
- D051 Ancient History
- CJ Numismatics
- CN Inscriptions. Epigraphy.
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
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Administration and Communication
Lazar, L., 2026, The Attic Empire. The Athenians and their Allies in the Fifth Century: A Handbook. Daubner, F., Reinard, P. & Rollinger, C. (eds.). Berlin: De Gruyter, p. 179-196 8 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
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Small Change, Big Data: Excavation Coins in Ancient Anatolia c. 600-30 BCE
Lazar, L., 2026, Third International Congress on the History of Money and Numismatics in the Mediterranean World. April 1-4, 2024. Antalya.. Tekin, O. & Boyraz Seyhan, R. (eds.). Antalya: Koç University Press, p. 25-48 23 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Conference contribution › peer-review
Open AccessFile7 Downloads (Pure) -
Hoards in Ancient Anatolia 630-30 BC. A Statistical Overview
Lazar, L., 2025, Proceedings of the XVI International Numismatic Congress, 11–16.09.2022, Warsaw, Vol. i: Greek Numismatics. Bodzek, J., Bursche, A. & Zapolska, A. (eds.). Brepols Publishers, p. 479-489 11 p.Research output: Chapter in Book/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review
Open Access -
The Origins of Coinage on Camera
Lazar, L., 2025, Centre for the Study of Ancient Documents Newsletter, 29, p. 6-7 2 p.Research output: Contribution to specialist publication › Article
File10 Downloads (Pure) -
Athenian Power in the Fifth Century BC
Lazar, L., 2024, Oxford University Press. (Oxford University Press)Research output: Book/Report › Book › peer-review
Activities
- 6 Invited talk
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Achaemenid Owls? Northern Anatolia between Athens and Persia
Lazar, L. (Speaker)
10 Mar 2026Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Research
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Oligarchy and Empire at Athens
Lazar, L. (Speaker)
12 Feb 2026Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Research
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The use of bronze coinage in Asia Minor: the CHANGE perspective
Lazar, L. (Speaker)
9 Jan 2026Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Research
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Rhodian Hegemony and Anatolian Monetary Economy in the Hellenistic Period
Lazar, L. (Speaker)
22 Oct 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Research
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Coin Hoards in Hellenistic Asia Minor
Lazar, L. (Speaker)
25 Sept 2025Activity: Talk or presentation › Invited talk › Research
Press/Media
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La fabuleuse histoire de l'argent / the fabulous history of money
25/11/25
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment
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Lesche Podcast: Subject Communities of the Athenian Empire
25/09/24
1 Media contribution
Press/Media: Expert comment