William Bubelis

William Bubelis

​Associate Professor of Classics
Curator of the Wulfing Coin Collection
PhD, University of Chicago
research interests:
  • Greek history and Epigraphy
  • Economic History and Numismatics
  • Ancient Religion and its Institutional Dimensions
  • Political Economy of the Ancient Near East

contact info:

mailing address:

  • MSC 1050-153-244
    WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY
    ONE BROOKINGS DRIVE
    ST. LOUIS, MO 63130-4899

Professor Bubelis' work aims to elucidate not only the specific histories of certain communities and institutions in ancient Greece but also the dynamic intersection between economics, religion, and state that drove broader developments across the ancient Mediterranean world, c. 750-250. He is the curator of the Wulfing Coin Collection.

Professor Bubelis' research interests include Greek history and epigraphy (especially Athens and the Peloponnese, and Northern Greece); economic history and numismatics (particularly taxation and fiscal behavior, banking, numeracy); ancient religion and its institutional dimensions, especially as they intersect with economics; Attic oratory and historiography; and the political economy of the ancient Near East (especially Iron Age Mesopotamia, Cyprus, and the Achaemenid Empire).

recent courses

Greek History: The Age of Alexander (L08 Classics 346C)

From the death of Socrates until the foundation of the Roman Empire, Greece and the Ancient Near East underwent profound changes that still resonate today. This course surveys the political, social, economic, and military developments of this period, especially Alexander the Great's legacy.

    Thucydides (L09 Greek 520)

    Thucydides created a distinct and critically important tradition of historical writing with his incomplete but monumental history of the Peloponnesian War. We will read extensive passages of the Greek text and examine numerous questions of Greek history and historiography that arise from or intersect with Thucydides' work.

      Topics in Greek Poetry: Greek Verse Inscriptions

      From the earliest surviving examples of their writing onward, Greeks inscribed in verse a dazzling array of texts. Ranging from religious votives and graffiti to tombstones and personal possessions, these metrical texts constitute a distinct and significant element of ancient culture. This course both surveys these texts, many of which challenge or complicate our notions of Greek poetry and culture, and also situates them against the poetic traditions represented in manuscripts and papyri. To that end, we will explore canonical literature such as Simonides and the Palatine Anthology as well as a few prose texts that also speak of verse inscriptions. In addition, the course offers a comprehensive introduction to the essential techniques and skills of epigraphy, which is the study of inscriptions.

        The John Max Wulfing Coin Collection

        Bubelis and Sarantis Symeonoglou, emeritus professor of art history and archaeology, introduce the exquisite John Max Wulfing coin collection and share some ancient Athenian highlights.