Visiting Professor Joins History Department

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Charles Muntz at Delphi in Greece

The department of history in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences announced that it will add Charles Muntz as a member of its full-time faculty this fall. Muntz has been with Fulbright College since 2008 as a visiting assistant professor of ancient history. He has been hired to a tenure track position as an assistant professor.

“The Department of History is thrilled to welcome professor Muntz among its ranks,” said Lynda Coon, professor of history and chair of the department. “His range as an historian — from archaic Greece to early Byzantium — will enrich significantly our course offerings at both the graduate and undergraduate levels.  Muntz’s impressive command of Greek, Latin and a variety of modern languages coupled with his imaginative approach to the ancient Greek and Roman worlds will be a boon to the department’s strong program in pre-modern world history.”

Since his arrival on campus, Muntz has regularly taught courses on Greece and the ancient Near East, Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic world and the Roman republic and empire. He has also taught several honors seminars and special topics courses, covering subjects such as Roman provincials, the Byzantine Empire and the use of epic poetry as an historical source. Muntz is proficient in Latin and ancient Greek and contributes to the classical studies program by teaching intermediate and advanced courses in both languages.

“I love teaching at the University of Arkansas,” said Muntz. “The history department has wonderful students and faculty, and I’m excited at the opportunity to stay with a tenure track position and develop a strong, innovative ancient history program.”

Muntz's primary research covers the work of the Greek historian Diodorus Siculus, examining his presentation of world history and foreign races in the context of the Roman civil wars of the 1st century B.C. He has published articles on Diodorus in Classical Quarterly and Classical Philology, as well as presented part of his research in Glasgow at the first-ever international conference devoted to the historian. Muntz has also presented on Diodorus at the annual meeting of the American Philological Association. In addition, Muntz has published articles on the Greek tragedian Aeschylus and the composer Antonio Vivaldi.

Muntz is a member of the American Philological Association, the American Historical Association, the Association of Ancient Historians and the Classical Association of the Middle West and South.

Muntz earned a bachelor of the arts with high honors in Latin from Swarthmore College (2002), with a minor in Greek and a concentration in computer science. He attended summer sessions at the American Academy in Rome (2004) and the American School of Classical Studies at Athens (2006). He holds a doctorate in classical studies from Duke University (2008).