Robert S Santucci

Originally from NJ, I come to UNCW after serving in teaching positions at Haverford College and Kalamazoo College.

Much of my research centers around questions of food and eating in Latin literature and Ancient Roman culture. What can the foods that people eat, as well as the ways in which they eat, tell us about their cultures? Their identities? Communities? Differences? My first book, The Edible Seneca: Narrative Eating in Imperial Rome (under contract with University of Michigan Press), explores the philosopher Seneca's depictions of people eating and argues that his textual use of Roman food practices is a vital part of his platform of teaching Stoicism. My second book, in its early stages, provides a cultural history of the myth of Erysichthon, with analyses of each of its ancient variants, its modern reception, and its environmental impact.

I have published articles and book chapters exploring, inter alia, the social and philosophical meanings of overeating, the extent to which appetites for food are constructed as gendered, the innovative reception of the Roman poet Ovid from Broadway to contemporary environmentalism, and Seneca's reworking of the Latin literary canon. Other current projects include an article on fatphobia in the early second century BCE, a cross-cultural study of the relationship between comedy and food insecurity, and readings of ancient texts through media studies lenses.

For a list of publications and other research activities, please see the "Scholars@UNCW Profile" link on this page.

Education

Ph.D. in Classical Studies, University of Michigan (2022)
M.A. in Classics, University of Maryland, College Park (2016)
B.A. in Classics and Philosophy, Rutgers University (2009)

Specialization in Teaching

Latin and Ancient Greek language and literature at all levels, courses in translation including Mythology, What Does Ancient Rome Taste Like?, classics in film.

Research Interests

Latin literature, Roman culture, food and eating, ancient sexualities and bodily appetites, classical reception, Classics and media studies

Honors & Awards

UNCW Library Open Access Champion (Oct. 2025)