Dr Jessica Venner

venner jessica
Leverhulme Early Career Fellow
St John's College
jessica.venner@arch.ox.ac.uk

Qualifications: PhD Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology, University of Birmingham (funded by AHRC-M3C DTP), MA Classical Civilisation, Birkbeck College, University of London

ORCID: 0000-0001-5828-6222

Link to college page: Dr Jessica Venner

 

College:
People type:
Academic Background

Dr Jessica Venner received her PhD in Roman Archaeology from the University of Birmingham (AHRC/Midlands3Cities DTP). Her doctoral research examined urban agricultural gardens in Pompeii and their role in the city’s economy, diet, and social organisation, with special interest in the period following the earthquake of AD 62. Her work has been recognised through several competitive awards and fellowships, including a Rome Award at the British School at Rome and an Associate Fellowship at the Royal Historical Society. She is a Trustee of the Herculaneum Society and has excavated in Italy, including at the Roman site of Oplontis. As well as acting as Directing Editor of Vesuvian Sites for the Gardens of the Roman Empire online (September 2019 – present), Jessica is the author of the non-fiction book, The Lost Voices of Pompeii (HarperCollins). Jessica currently holds the Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship at the University of Oxford (2025-28).

Research Interests

Dr Venner’s research focuses on everyday life in the Roman world, particularly the social and economic roles of non-elite communities in relation to urban horticulture and agriculture. Her work examines agricultural production in urban environments, labour and identity among workers, and the ways communities adapted to crisis in the Roman world. She has a particular interest in Pompeii and the Vesuvian region, exploring how domestic space, gardens, and workshops reveal patterns of resilience, economic opportunism, and social organisation in the aftermath of disasters such as the earthquake of AD 62.

Research Keywords

Pompeii, Vesuvian cities, Roman agriculture, urban gardens, resilience, labour and identity, collegia, Roman economy, everyday life in the Roman world, social history, archaeobotany, epigraphy

Teaching

Age of Cicero (University of Birmingham)

Understanding Ancient Societies (University of Birmingham)

Publications

Full Publications: Dr J Venner 2026

Selected Publications: