Meet the Team
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Michael J Curtis, BA (Hons), MA
Course & Business Development Director and Course Tutor
Michael has been associated with Adult Learning since the late 1970’s,developing and delivering a broad range of courses on archaeology and ancient history for local authorities, WEA and community groups. He is an experienced expert tour guide, working with commercial operators and leading tour groups around ancient sites in Greece.
Michael is a professional landscape and coastal archaeologist and Honorary Fellow at the School of Archaeology & Ancient History at the University of Leicester. Since 2015 his academic research interests have been focused on the maritime landscape of Hellenistic and Roman Crete and the social archaeology of Roman ports and harbours, along with research into the British late Iron Age – Roman tribal landscape of the Catuvellauni, on which he has presented widely.
His doctoral research at the University of Leicester is focused on the Roman Imperial ports and harbours of Crete and has seen Michael as one of the main lead members of Greek–led project to survey and investigate the Roman Harbour and its coastal hinterland at Ierapetra (anc. Hierapytna), in eastern Crete.Michael was joint editor with W.G. Cavanagh of a British School at Athens Studies volume on Post-Minoan Crete (1998) and a joint editor with Jane E. Francis of Concordia University of a volume on Change and Transition on Crete from the Hellenistic through to the Early Byzantine period (2023).
He is co-editor of new Oxbow Book series entitled ‘Cretan Studies: New Approaches and Perspectives in the Study of Hellenistic, Roman and Early Byzantine Crete’ which published its first volume in 2024. Michael’s business background has been in both the public and private sectors specialising in marketing, communications, and engagement, and assisting in the development and delivery of several Government Public Service Campaigns.
He is joint owner and a Director of Rushden Escape Rooms Ltd, a Director of Leicester Vaughan College and a Trustee of Northamptonshire Archaeological Society and the Nautical Archaeology Society.
Michael is a professional landscape and coastal archaeologist and Honorary Fellow at the School of Archaeology & Ancient History at the University of Leicester. Since 2015 his academic research interests have been focused on the maritime landscape of Hellenistic and Roman Crete and the social archaeology of Roman ports and harbours, along with research into the British late Iron Age – Roman tribal landscape of the Catuvellauni, on which he has presented widely.
His doctoral research at the University of Leicester is focused on the Roman Imperial ports and harbours of Crete and has seen Michael as one of the main lead members of Greek–led project to survey and investigate the Roman Harbour and its coastal hinterland at Ierapetra (anc. Hierapytna), in eastern Crete.Michael was joint editor with W.G. Cavanagh of a British School at Athens Studies volume on Post-Minoan Crete (1998) and a joint editor with Jane E. Francis of Concordia University of a volume on Change and Transition on Crete from the Hellenistic through to the Early Byzantine period (2023).
He is co-editor of new Oxbow Book series entitled ‘Cretan Studies: New Approaches and Perspectives in the Study of Hellenistic, Roman and Early Byzantine Crete’ which published its first volume in 2024. Michael’s business background has been in both the public and private sectors specialising in marketing, communications, and engagement, and assisting in the development and delivery of several Government Public Service Campaigns.
He is joint owner and a Director of Rushden Escape Rooms Ltd, a Director of Leicester Vaughan College and a Trustee of Northamptonshire Archaeological Society and the Nautical Archaeology Society.
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Joanna O’Neill, BA, MBA, FCA.
Director of Finance and Course Tutor
Joanna is our Director of Finance and Course Tutor. With a lifelong passion for Ancient History & Archaeology, Joanna graduated with a 1st class degree in Ancient History from the University of Leicester in 2021, ranking 2nd in her year. Her specialisation was the representation of women in the ancient world and its ongoing impact on modern gender discourse.
Since graduating, Joanna has taught Archaeology and Ancient History courses for Northants Adult Learning, both online and in person. This experience has fueled her love of teaching and sharing the wonders of the Ancient World with as many learners as possible.
Most recently Joanna has been awarded the College of Social Sciences, Arts and Humanities Masters Excellence Scholarship by the University of Leicester and has just completed a Masters in Museum Studies.
In addition to her academic pursuits, Joanna has over 20 years of experience in Finance and is a qualified Chartered Accountant. She has worked with large listed companies and start-ups, bringing a wealth of business acumen and experience to My Ancient World Learning. Joanna also holds a Master of Business Administration and strongly believes in making adult education accessible to everyone.
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Sofia Bongiovanni BA(Hons), MA
Director of Classical Studies and Course Tutor
Sofia is the latest addition to our team as we add classical studies to our selection of course modules. Sofia is an experienced tutor and lecturer who is enthusiastic about teaching Classics. She is an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has been busy completing her MPhil in Classics at UCL in London. Sofia specialises in the literature of the early Roman empire with a focus on Seneca the Younger.
Sofia has taught Latin and Ancient Greek at all levels, both online and in person, and we are delighted to have her as a member of our team. Having gained experience teaching both Language and Literature modules at university, she branched out and taught Latin Language and Ancient History courses to adult learners at the Working Men’s College in Camden. She has also taught Latin and Ancient Greek to adult learners across the globe, working as a freelancer on platforms such as Preply and Upwork.
Sofia possesses a true passion for Classics and the Ancient World and has been a chair of the Lyceum Seminar (2020-2021). She is also a host and producer of the ‘Ancient World: New Voices’ podcast, which aims at making recent research on the Ancient World accessible to everyone at the click of a button.
Interested in finding out more?
Register your interest and we will be in touch as soon as courses go live.
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