Abigail Staub

Abigail Staub is a doctoral candidate in the Interdepartmental Program in Ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology. She specializes in Roman amulets, apotropaia, and personal ritual, and is particularly interested in their cognitive and psychological role in mitigating perceived risk. Her dissertation investigates remnants of ritual around the mouth of the bread oven in Roman Imperial bakeries, considering the vernacular, creative interventions visible in object assemblages and architectural remains. She contextualizes remains in the multisensorial context of the bakery, taking into consideration occupational realities—for instance, the impacts of thermal stress and flour inhalation on the body. More broadly, she has a passion for social history, materiality studies, public pedagogy, and sustainable “museum archaeology.” As the fellow in object-based learning this semester, she is particularly excited to help the public connect with the museum’s collection materially, challenging them to think dynamically about how each object might have been used and experienced in different contexts.