HEADS OF DEPARTMENTs

Dr Raffaele D'Amato
(Antiquities)

Dr. D’Amato is a leading Italian archaeologist and historian. He holds a PhD in Roman archaeology from the University of Ferrara, and a Masters in Byzantine archaeology from the University of Vienna, as well as a PhD in law from the University of Torino. He was for some time a curator of Romano-Byzantine artefacts at the Museum of Man based in Orlando, Florida, U.S.A. He currently works as independent researcher and assistant professor near the Laboratorio Antiche Province Danubiane of the University of Ferrara (exploring the Danubian provinces of the Roman Empire), of which is part of the Scientific Committee, with particular reference to the military material of Rome and Byzantium; he runs academic conferences for the university and has published over 40 books and many technical papers and catalogues in connection with these studies.

Dr. D’Amato was a visiting scientist to the Turkish government at Fatih University, Istanbul, Turkey with particular interest in tracing Byzantine military costume and activities from the surviving frescoes in Byzantine churches in Cappadocia. He has lectured on ancient military technology at a variety of academic conferences. His legal training and practical work in the commercial world led to his official appointment as Deputy Public Prosecutor for the District Court of Pinerolo, Italy. He was the main lawyer of the Italian Federation of the Maternal Schools in Torino until 2020.

Periklis Mastrangelis, MA
(Numismatics)

Periklis Mastrangelis holds an MA in History of Philosophy from Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece and a BA in Theology from the same institution.

He has been a student of ancient numismatics (mainly Greek and Byzantine) with the Institute of Historical Research at the National Hellenic Research Foundation in Athens and participated in many seminars where his detailed knowledge of Greek and Latin epigraphy complemented his precise specialized expertise in Greek linguistic history – archaic, classical, Hellenistic and Biblical, as well as Byzantine and later Mediaeval.

Periklis has a wide-ranging interest in history and historical studies, coupled with an abiding passion for the Classical and Byzantine periods in particular, focusing on literary research. This, in tandem with his numismatic expertise, has led him to specialize in classical numismatics and sigillography. He is proficient in Modern Greek, French, Italian German and English as well as the Greek language of many periods. Historical linguistics, both synchronic and diachronic, are among his private research topics. He is a full member of the Royal Numismatic Society in the UK.

Material culture, onomastics (personal- and place-name studies) and literary studies form just part of his range of continuing interests. He has organized and curated many numismatic and other collections with a view to publication, and has worked in leading roles in both Germany and the United Kingdom in the numismatic field.