Academic Appointments


  • Professor, Classics
  • Professor (By courtesy), History

Administrative Appointments


  • Interim President, Stanford University (2023 - 2024)
  • Faculty Director, Distinguished Careers Institute (2022 - 2023)
  • Chair, Classics Department (2021 - 2023)
  • Dean, School of Humanities and Sciences, Stanford University (2007 - 2018)
  • Provost, University of Chicago (2002 - 2006)
  • Dean, Social Sciences Division, University of Chicago (1994 - 2001)
  • Chair, Department of History, University of Chicago (1993 - 1994)

Honors & Awards


  • Bronze Tablet, University of Illinois
  • Henry Arthur Thomas Travel Grant, University of Cambridge
  • Jesus College Book Award, University of Cambridge
  • Jesus College Research Fellowship, University of Cambridge
  • Phi Beta Kappa, University of Illinois
  • Fellow Commoner, Trinity College, Cambridge University (Michaelmas 1991)
  • Whitney J. Oates Fellow, Princeton University (February 1993)
  • Syme Lecture, Wolfson College, Oxford (2021)
  • Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2005)
  • Visiting Scholar, Phi Beta Kappa Society (2001-2002)
  • Quantrell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, University of Chicago (1992)
  • Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University (1986-1987)
  • Travel Grant, American Philosophical Society (1985)
  • Study Fellowship, American Council of Learned Societies (1982-1983)

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations


  • Book and Article Manuscripts Evaluator, Phoenix
  • Book and Article Manuscripts Evaluator, Classical Philology
  • Book and Article Manuscripts Evaluator, American Journal of Philology
  • Book and Article Manuscripts Evaluator, Princeton University Press
  • Book and Article Manuscripts Evaluator, Classical Views
  • Book and Article Manuscripts Evaluator, Helios
  • Book and Article Manuscripts Evaluator, Yale University Press
  • Center Scholar, National Center for History in the Schools, University of California, Los Angeles
  • Juror, Fellowship Competition of American Academy in Rome
  • Member of the Committee on Ancient History, American Philological Association
  • Panelist, National Endowment for the Humanities Collaborative Grants
  • Member of Committee, Hong Kong University Grants Committee (2015 - 2021)
  • Member of Board, Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences (2006 - 2009)
  • Chair, Reaccreditation review of Columbia University (2006 - 2006)
  • Member of Board, University of Chicago Hospitals (2002 - 2006)
  • Member of Review Committee, Department of Classics at Stanford University (2001 - 2001)
  • Member of Review Committee, Department of Classics at Yale University (1999 - 1999)
  • Member of Board, North Kenwood/Oakland Charter School (1998 - 2006)
  • Member of Review Committee, Department of History at University of California, Los Angeles (1998 - 1998)
  • Member of Review Committee, Department of Classics at University of Toronto (1997 - 1997)
  • Member of Review Committee, Department of Classics at University of Michigan (1996 - 1996)
  • Member of Review Committee, Department of Classics at University of Pennsylvania (1995 - 1995)
  • Member of Board, National Opinion Research Center (1994 - 2006)
  • Associate Editor, Classical Philology (1993 - Present)
  • Chair, Committee on The Ancient Mediterranean World, University of Chicago (1992 - 1993)
  • Editor, Classical Philology (1990 - 1993)

Program Affiliations


  • Center for Human Rights and International Justice

Professional Education


  • Ph.D., University of Cambridge (1978)
  • B.A., University of Illinois, Greek (1974)
  • B.A., University of Illinois, History (1974)

All Publications


  • Roman Law and Economics (Book Review) JOURNAL OF ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 2022
  • Lead pollution and the Roman economy JOURNAL OF ROMAN ARCHAEOLOGY Pavlyshyn, D., Johnstone, I., Saller, R. 2020; 33: 354–64
  • Introduction Commemorating the Dead: Texts and Artifacts in Context Saller, R. P. edited by Brink, L., Green, D. Walter de Gruyter. 2008: 1–10
  • Women's religious activity in the Roman Republic. (Book Review) AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 2007; 112 (1): 256-257
  • Gender and labour in the household Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World Saller, R. P. edited by Scheidel, W., Morris, I., Saller, R. P. Cambridge University Press. 2007
  • Cambridge Economic History of the Greco-Roman World edited by Scheidel, W., Morris, I., Saller, R. P. Cambridge University Press. 2007
  • Women, slaves, and the economy of the Roman household Conference on Early Christian Families in Context Saller, R. WILLIAM B EERDMANS PUBL CO. 2003: 185–204
  • Economies beyond Agriculture in the Classical World (Review) Journal of Roman Archaeology Saller, R. P. 2001: 580-584
  • The Family in Late Antiquity: the Rise of Christianity and the Endurance of Tradition (Review) Journal of Roman Archaeology Saller, R. P. 2001: 664-666
  • The family and society Epigraphic Evidence: Ancient History from Inscriptions Saller, R. P. edited by Bodel, J. Routledge. 2001: 75–117
  • Framing the debate over growth in the ancient economy The ancient economy Saller, R. P. edited by Scheidel, W., von Reden, S. Routledge. 2001: 251–269
  • Banking and business in the Roman world. (Book Review) BUSINESS HISTORY REVIEW Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 2000; 74 (3): 483-485
  • Family and familia in Roman law and life. (Book Review) AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 2000; 105 (1): 260-261
  • Family and household Cambridge Ancient History XI Saller, R. P. edited by Bowman, A. K., Garnsey, P., Rathbone, D. Cambridge University Press. 2000; 2: 855–874
  • Status and patronage Cambridge Ancient History XI Saller, R. P. edited by Bowman, A. K., Garnsey, P., Rathbone, D. Cambridge University Press. 2000; 2: 817–854
  • Domitian and his successors: methodological traps in assessing emperors American Journal of Ancient History Saller, R. P. 2000; 15: 4-18
  • Measuring sex, age and death in the Roman empire: Journal of Roman archaeology. (Book Review) POPULATION STUDIES-A JOURNAL OF DEMOGRAPHY Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 1999; 53 (2): 271-271
  • Pater-familias, mater-familias, and the gendered semantics of the Roman household CLASSICAL PHILOLOGY Saller, R. P. 1999; 94 (2): 182-197
  • Ancestor masks and aristocratic power in Roman culture (Book Review) AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 1998; 102 (2): 448-449
  • Poverty, honor, and obligation in imperial Rome Criterion Saller, R. P. 1998: 12-20
  • The Roman World 44 BC-AD 180 (Review) Times Literary Supplement Saller, R. P. 1998: 25
  • American Classical Historiography Imagined Histories: American Historians Interpret the Past Saller, R. P. edited by Mohlo, A., Wood, G. S. Princeton University Press. 1998: 222–237
  • Symbols of Gender and Status Hierarchies in the Roman Household Women and Slaves in Greco Roman Culture Saller, R. P., Joshel, S. R., Murnaghan, S. Routledge. 1998: 85–91
  • Patriarchy, Property, and Death in the Roman Family Saller, R. P. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1997
  • Roman kinship: structure and sentiment The Roman Family in Italy: Status, Sentiment, Space Saller, R. P. edited by Rawson, B., Weaver, P. Oxford University Press. 1997: 7–34
  • The hierarchical household in Roman society: a study of domestic slavery Serfdom and Slavery: Studies in Legal Bondage Saller, R. P. edited by Bush, M. Longman Publishing Group. 1996: 112–129
  • Slavery and Society at Rome (Review) Slavery & Abolition Saller, R. P. 1995; 16: 273-275
  • H Rvmaikh Autokratoria Garnsey, P. D., Saller, R. P. Herakleio. 1995
  • L'Empire romain: économie, société, culture Garnsey, P. D., Saller, R. P. Paris: La Découverte. 1994
  • FOUCAULT ON SEXUALITY IN GRECO-ROMAN ANTIQUITY Conference on Foucault and the Writing of History Today Cohen, D., Saller, R. BLACKWELL PUBL. 1994: 35–59
  • Patriarchy, Property, and Death in the Roman Family Saller, R. P. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1994
  • The social dynamics of consent to marriage and sexual relations: the evidence of Roman comedy Consent and Coercion to Sex and Marriage in Ancient and Medieval Societies Saller, R. P. edited by Laiou, A. E. Dumbarton Oaks Research Library and Collection. 1993: 83–104
  • ANCIENT YOUTH - THE AMBIGUITY OF YOUTH AND THE ABSENCE OF ADOLESCENCE IN GRECO-ROMAN SOCIETY - KLEIJWEGT,M (Book Review) AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 1992; 97 (2): 527-528
  • DISCOVERING THE ROMAN FAMILY - STUDIES IN ROMAN SOCIAL-HISTORY - BRADLEY,KR (Book Review) AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 1992; 97 (2): 527-528
  • The Roman Republic The Encyclopaedia Britannica Saller, R. P. William Benton and Helen Hemingway Benton. 1992
  • THE FALL OF THE ROMAN-REPUBLIC AND RELATED ESSAYS - BRUNT,PA (Book Review) CLASSICAL PHILOLOGY Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. P. 1992; 87 (1): 80-85
  • ROMAN CORINTH, AN ALTERNATIVE MODEL FOR THE CLASSICAL CITY - ENGELS,D (Book Review) CLASSICAL PHILOLOGY Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. P. 1991; 86 (4): 351-357
  • The Family in Italy from Antiquity to the Present edited by Saller, R. P., Kertzer, D. I. Yale University Press. 1991
  • Adults and Children in The Roman Empire (Review) Journal of Roman Archaeology Saller, R. P. 1991; 4: 240-242
  • THE EXCELLENT EMPIRE - THE FALL OF ROME AND THE TRIUMPH OF THE CHURCH - PELIKAN,J (Book Review) JOURNAL OF RELIGION Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 1991; 71 (1): 94-95
  • European family history and Roman law Continuity and Change Saller, R. P. 1991; 6: 335-346
  • Corporal Punishment, Authority and Obedience in the Roman Household Marriage, Divorce and Children in Ancient Rome Saller, R. P. edited by Rawson, B. Oxford University Press. 1991: 144–165
  • El Imperio Romano: Economía, sociedad y cultura Garnsey, P. D., Saller, R. P. Barcelona: Editoríal Critica. 1991
  • Progress in early Roman historiography? Journal of Roman Studies Saller, R. P. 1991; 81: 157-163
  • Roman heirship strategies: in principle and in practice The Family in Italy from Antiquity to the Present Saller, R. P. edited by Saller, R. P., Kertzer, D. I. Yale University Press. 1991: 26–47
  • A HISTORY OF PRIVATE LIFE, VOL 1, FROM PAGAN ROME TO BYZANTIUM - VEYNE,P (Book Review) AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 1989; 94 (3): 705-707
  • THE AUGUSTAN ARISTOCRACY - SYME,R (Book Review) AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 1989; 94 (2): 416-416
  • Storia sociale dell'Impero romano Garnsey, P. D., Saller, R. P. Rome: Laterza. 1989
  • I rapporti di parentela e l'organizzazione familiare Storia di Roma Saller, R. P. edited by Gabba, E., Schiavone, A. Einaudi. 1989: 515–555
  • Das römischen Kaiserreich: Wirtschaft, Gesellschaft, Kultur Garnsey, P. D., Saller, R. P. Hamburg: Rowohlts Enzyklopädie. 1989
  • THE FAMILY IN ANCIENT-ROME, NEW PERSPECTIVES - RAWSON,B (Book Review) CLASSICAL PHILOLOGY Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. P. 1988; 83 (3): 263-269
  • Class structures and relations: Rome Civilizations of the Ancient Mediterranean: Greece and Rome Saller, R. P. edited by Grant, M., Kitzinger, R. Scribner Book Company. 1988: 549–574
  • Women in Roman Society and Law (Review) Classical Philology Saller, R. P. 1988; 83
  • MENS AGE AT MARRIAGE AND ITS CONSEQUENCES IN THE ROMAN FAMILY CLASSICAL PHILOLOGY Saller, R. P. 1987; 82 (1): 21-34

    View details for Web of Science ID A1987F550200002

    View details for PubMedID 16435454

  • The Roman Empire: Economy, Society and Culture Garnsey, P. D., Saller, R. P. London, Duckworth; Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. 1987
  • Intellectual Life in the Late Roman Republic (Review) Ancient Philosophy Saller, R. P. 1987; 7: 251-253
  • Slavery and the Roman family Slavery and Abolition Saller, R. P. 1987; 8: 71-93
  • FATHERS AND DAUGHTERS IN ROMAN SOCIETY, WOMEN AND THE ELITE FAMILY - HALLETT,JP (Book Review) CLASSICAL PHILOLOGY Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. P. 1986; 81 (4): 354-358
  • LITERATURE AND POLITICS IN THE AGE OF NERO - SULLIVAN,JP (Book Review) AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. P. 1986; 91 (4): 893-894
  • Patria potestas and the stereotype of the Roman family Continuity and Change Saller, R. P. 1986; 1: 5-20
  • THE MAKING OF THE ROMAN ARMY FROM REPUBLIC TO EMPIRE - KEPPIE,L (Book Review) AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ARCHAEOLOGY Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. P. 1985; 89 (3): 541-542
  • L'armee et la guerre chez les peuples amnites (Review) American Journal of Archaeology Saller, R. P. 1985; 89: 542
  • TOMBSTONES AND ROMAN FAMILY-RELATIONS IN THE PRINCIPATE - CIVILIANS, SOLDIERS AND SLAVES JOURNAL OF ROMAN STUDIES Saller, R. P., Shaw, B. D. 1984; 74: 124-156
  • COMMERCE AND SOCIAL STANDING IN ANCIENT-ROME - DARMS,JH (Book Review) AMERICAN HISTORICAL REVIEW Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. P. 1984; 89 (3): 740-741
  • ROMAN DOWRY AND THE DEVOLUTION OF PROPERTY IN THE PRINCIPATE + ECONOMY OF ANCIENT-ROME CLASSICAL QUARTERLY Saller, R. P. 1984; 34 (1): 195-205
  • CLOSE-KIN MARRIAGE IN ROMAN SOCIETY MAN Shaw, B. D., Saller, R. P. 1984; 19 (3): 432-444
  • FAMILIA, DOMUS, AND THE ROMAN CONCEPTION OF THE FAMILY PHOENIX-THE JOURNAL OF THE CLASSICAL ASSOCIATION OF CANADA Saller, R. P. 1984; 38 (4): 336-355
  • Martial on literature and patronage Classical Quarterly Saller, R. P. 1983; 33: 246-257
  • THE MEANING OF FAENUS IN JUVENAL 9TH 'SATIRE' PROCEEDINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE PHILOLOGICAL SOCIETY Saller, R. 1983: 72-76
  • The use of pronouncement stories in Suetonius' "Lives of the Twelve Caesars" Society of Biblical Literature Seminar Papers Saller, R. P. Scholars Press. 1982
  • The Early Principate: Augustus to Trajan (New Surveys in the Classics) Garnsey, P. D., Saller, R. P. Classical Association. 1982
  • Personal Patronage under the Early Empire Saller, R. P. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1982
  • Economy and Society in Ancient Greece: papers of Sir Moses Finley edited by Saller, R. P., Shaw, B. D. London, Chatto & Windus; New York, Viking. 1981
  • PROMOTION AND PATRONAGE IN EQUESTRIAN CAREERS JOURNAL OF ROMAN STUDIES Saller, R. P. 1980; 70: 44-63
  • ANECDOTES AS HISTORICAL EVIDENCE FOR THE PRINCIPATE GREECE & ROME Saller, R. 1980; 27 (1): 69-83
  • The Roman Republic (Review) Cambridge Review Saller, R. D. 1979; 16: 25-26
  • HOSPITALITY IN EARLY ROME - LIVY CONCEPT OF ITS HUMANIZING FORCE - BOLCHAZY,LJ (Book Review) AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHILOLOGY Book Review Authored by: Saller, R. 1979; 100 (3): 465-468