Historical story consulting · Greece & Rome
Use the evidence. Keep the drama.
I help creative teams navigate ancient sources, historical plausibility and modern audience expectations—then turn those constraints into sharper choices and better scenes.
What I do
Source-sensitive story judgment
A historical consultant should do more than separate “accurate” details from “inaccurate” ones. Ancient history reaches us through competing accounts, later retellings, political agendas and long silences. The question is often not simply what happened, but which version a project is using—and what that choice does to the story.
I review material for factual and chronological problems, but also for interpretive choices, anachronistic assumptions, defensible inventions and missed dramatic opportunities. The result is practical advice a creative team can act on.
Questions I can help answer
Evidence
- What do the surviving sources actually say?
- Where do they disagree?
- How early or reliable is a familiar tradition?
Plausibility
- Could this sequence have happened?
- Does the politics of the scene make sense?
- Is a modern assumption being projected backward?
Adaptation
- What invention is historically defensible?
- What must change for a modern audience?
- What is gained or lost by that change?
Story opportunity
- Does the evidence contain a better scene?
- Can a disagreement between sources create tension?
- Where could a detail make the world feel lived-in?
Ways to work together
Focused
Expert consultation
Best for early development or a small set of historical questions.
- Advance review of brief project materials
- One focused video consultation
- Brief written follow-up
Flagship
Story review
Best for a treatment, script segment, proposal or chapter.
- Targeted source and context verification
- Concise, decision-focused written notes
- One follow-up consultation
Extended
Project consultation
Best for longer scripts, episodic development and recurring questions.
- Scope designed around the project
- Written and live consultation as needed
- Specialist referral where appropriate
A straightforward process
01
Tell me about the project
Send a short description, the stage of development, available materials and the questions you most need answered.
02
Agree the scope
We identify the useful deliverable, turnaround, number of calls, fee and limits of the engagement.
03
Review and verify
I triage the material, investigate the questions that matter, and prepare concise, production-oriented notes.
04
Make the choices
We talk through the tradeoffs so your team can decide what serves the project.
Particular strengths
- Roman history and political culture
- Greek and Roman historiography
- Latin literature
- Ancient politics and institutions
- Source criticism
- Classical reception and modern adaptation
Working range
I consult across Greek and Roman history and literature, especially where projects involve politics, historical narrative, textual traditions, reception or adaptation.
I do not pretend that one classicist knows every corner of antiquity. When a question requires a specialist in a different period, region or technical field, I say so and help identify what needs additional verification.
Background
Scholarship that travels
I am an Associate Professor of Classics at the University of Texas at Austin and received my Ph.D. from Yale. My research focuses on Roman historiography, Livy, political narrative, citation and the ways stories acquire authority.
I am the author of Magistracy and the Historiography of the Roman Republic and You Win or You Die: The Ancient World of Game of Thrones, and have written for both scholarly and general audiences.
That combination means I can work closely with primary sources and scholarship while keeping the answer clear, proportionate and useful to people making creative decisions.
Bring me the historical problem.
A useful first message includes the project format, its stage, the amount of material involved, your principal questions and your ideal deadline.
