Jeffrey Royal

Who is Jeffrey Royal?

Jeffrey G. Royal is an American archaeologist active in the Mediterranean area. After completing a BA degree in Economics at UNC-Chapel Hill, Dr. Royal returned to school for the study of archaeology. His initial steps included a second BA in Anthropology and a subsequent MA in Anthropology from USC-Columbia. During his studies at USC, he sought out land excavations in southern Italy in which to participate. It was on these excavations that his interests in complex economic/exchange systems, communications, and technology of the Roman world were developed. As the sea has always played a large role in the development of Mediterranean cultures, particularly in the trade and communication, his interests grew to encompass this area. Dr. Royal understood that watercraft represented one of the most advanced aspects of ancient technology; hence, the need for the integration of maritime components into his studies. This led him to the Nautical Archaeology Program at Texas A&M University in 1994.

Dr. Royal was fortunate to study at Texas A&M when many of the foremost scholars in maritime archaeology were teaching in the program: Drs.