The PI is Dr. Silverman, who is a social and religious historian specializing in the Persian Empire. He holds a docentship in Old Testament studies from the University of Helsinki and in the Cultural History of Ancient Persia from the University of Turku. Within this project he will be researching the rebuilding of the Jerusalem temple in light of informal taxation and forced labor, and will be developing Bourdieusian methods for ANE economics.
Postdoctoral researcher Lucia Cerullo and doctoral researcher Filippo Pedron have joined the team in August 2024. Three more team members will be joining this project January 2025.