About me

I am a freelance artist, podcaster, and PhD student of Classical Archaeology, living in Scotland.

I studied Fine Arts at Langara College in Vancouver, B.C. then completed a BA in History and Humanities and a BGS in Museum Studies and Archaeology at Simon Fraser University. In 2013, I moved to the United Kingdom to complete an MSc in Classical Archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, writing my dissertation on the iconography of cult of Isis sculptures in the Hellenistic and Roman periods. I am currently completing a PhD in Classics and Ancient History at the University of St Andrews. My PhD examines monumental Aegyptiaca (Egypt-referencing material culture) in urban environments in the Hellenistic period.

Throughout my academic studies, I create art that engages with the ancient world. My art has been featured in the University of Edinburgh’s Public Archaeology programme for Roman Aeclanum, the University of St Andrews’ Visualising War and Peace podcast project, and many other areas where art and classics intersect.

I explore ancient history through art blogging, creating educational materials and podcasting. In 2020, I launched a public-oriented history podcast, Two Friends Talk History, with my friend and colleagued, Dr Morrison-Gale. In 2022, I changed the format to become an interviewer of early career scholars, leading figures in the fields of ancient history and archaeology, practitioners of heritage conservation and communication.

The aim of my website is to develop a location with visual, audio, and textual includes materials that are free to access and elucidate the incredible history of the ancient world. I am creating a bank of resources about Classical Archaeology and Ancient History which can be used as free resources for educators. 

Curriculum vitae – Zofia Guertin

EDUCATION

PhD: Classics and Ancient History, the University of St. Andrews (2017 – present). Thesis title: The Public Face of Aegyptiaca: Egyptian-Style Buildings and Art in the Hellenistic City. Supervision from Dr Carlos Machado and Prof Rebecca Sweetman.

Master of Science: Classical Archaeology and Art, the University of Edinburgh (2013 – 2014)

Bachelor of Arts: History & Humanities Joint Majors, Simon Fraser University, BC (2005 – 2010)

Bachelor of General Studies: Museum Studies with an Extended Minor in Archaeology, Simon Fraser University, BC (2005 – 2010)

Fine Arts Diploma, Langara College, Vancouver, British Columbia (2003 – 2005)

MUSEUM EXPERIENCE

Post-excavation cataloguing, The archaeological museum of Fira, Santorini, Greece (2021)

Art design and exhibition development, the University of Cambridge Museum of Classical Archaeology (2020 – 2021)

Volunteer Digital Archivist, The Museum of Vancouver, Vancouver, BC (2013)

Volunteer Digital Archivist, Bill Reid Centre, Vancouver, BC (2010)

Studentship Assistant to the Curator, Simon Fraser University, Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Burnaby, BC (2007 – 2010)

ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELD EXPERIENCE

Public Archaeology Coordinator – The University of Edinburgh’s Aeclanum excavation (2017 – 2019)

Project Manager – Archaeological excavation, The University of Edinburgh’s Aeclanum excavation (2019)

Supervisor-in-training, The University of Edinburgh’s Aeclanum excavation (2016)

Supervisor-in-training, Etruria Nova Onlus, excavation in Policastro Bussentino, Italy (2015)

Trainee, Oxford University and Merida Heritage Consortium, Archaeological excavation in Merida, Spain (July 2014)

Trainee, Liverpool University and the Mann Centre for Manx Studies, Archaeological excavation on Isle of Mann (June 2014)

Trainee, Simon Fraser University, Archaeological excavation in Pronnoi, Kefalonia, Greece (September – November 2008)

TUTORING EXPERIENCE

Get Podcasting! Creating your own academic podcast presented for St Andrews University, CEED (2023, 2024)

Get Podcasting! Creating your own academic podcast (2023, 2024) presented at the British School at Athens (BSA) ‘Communicating Archaeology Programme (2024)

 PUBLICATIONS

Guertin, Z. and J. Martinez- Jimenez (forthcoming), The Many Ways of Illustrating Ancient History. 

Guertin, Z. (2022), “Creating comics for public engagement in roman Aeclanum: illustrating ancient history” in a volume on Comics and Archaeology to be published by Palgrave (2021).

SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS

  • British School at Ankara Travel Scholarship (2024)
  • Museum Training programme in Santorini Greece, Grampus Heritage and Training Limited (2021)
  • British School at Athens Artist Award (2020)
  • Santander Research Travel Fund (2018, 2020)
  • The Thomas Wiedemann Memorial Fund (2020)
  • Institute of Classical Studies Public Engagement Grant (2018, 2019)
  • Erasmus Archaeological Exchange to Italy, Grampus Heritage and Training Limited (2015)
  • Baldwin Brown Travelling Scholarship, University of Edinburgh (2014)
  • Principals Go Abroad Fund, University of Edinburgh (2014) 

CONFERENCES AND PRESENTATIONS

Paper: University of Granada, CAUAT (Cultura del Agua en la Antigüedad Tardía) Conference. “Waters of Devotion: a deep dive into the water management of a Late Antique, urban, Egyptian cult site”, June 16 2025.

Paper: University of Edinburgh, St. Andrews and Glasgow Postgraduate Conference: Northern Lights. “Isea in Rome: a diachronic view of Aegyptiaca”, 26 April 2019.

Poster: Public Engagement with Research conference, University of St Andrews “Creating comics for public engagement in Roman Aeclanum: visual conversations with Ancient History”, 26 October 2018.

Paper: Drawing on the Past: The PreModern World in Comics conference, Institute of Classical Studies. “Creating comics for public engagement in Roman Aeclanum: illustrating Ancient History”, 10 September 2018.

Poster: Roman Archaeology Conference, University of Edinburgh. “Public archaeology in Aeclanum: creating pedagogical materials and site narratives for outreach”, 14 April 2018.