Publications

Books

Persian Cultures of Power and the Entanglement of the Afro-Eurasian World. Issues and Debates. Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute Publications, 2024.
Iran and the Transformation of Ancient Near Eastern History: The Seleucids (ca. 312-150 BCE) Classica et Orientalia. Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz, 2023 . (co-edited with Touraj Daryaee and Robert Rollinger)
The Iranian Expanse: Transforming Royal Identity through Architecture, Landscape, and the Built Environment, 550 BCE–642 CE. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2018; Paperback ed. 2020.
- Winner of the 2020 James R. Wiseman Book Award, Archaeological Institute of America.
The Two Eyes of the Earth: Art and Ritual of Kingship between Rome and Sasanian Iran The Transformation of the Classical Heritage 45. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2009; Paperback edition 2017.
- Winner of the 2010 James H. Breasted Award from the American Historical Association for best book in English in any field of history prior to CE 1000.
- Awardee of the Archaeological Institute of America’s von Bothmer Publication Fund.
Theorizing Cross-Cultural Interaction among the Ancient and Early Medieval Mediterranean, Near East and Asia Ars Orientalis 38. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian, 2010.
Persia and the Ancient Iranian World: Art and Archaeology of Iran from the Achaemenians to Sasanians. Berkeley: University of California Press, [under contract].

Select Articles, Book Chapters and Exhibition Essays/Entries

Canepa, Matthew P. “Theorizing Cross-Cultural Interaction Among Ancient and Early Medieval Visual Cultures..” Theorizing Cross Cultural Interaction, ed. M. Canepa. Ars Orientalis 38 (2010): 7-19. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Distant Displays of Power: Understanding Cross-Cultural Interaction Among the Elites of Rome, Sasanian Iran, and Sui-Tang China.” Theorizing Cross Cultural Interaction, ed. M. Canepa. Ars Orientalis 38 (2010): 121-54. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Technologies of Memory In Early Sasanian Iran: Achaemenid Sites and Sasanian Identity.” American Journal of Archaeology 114.4 (2010): 563-96. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Achaemenid and Seleukid Royal Funerary Practices and Middle Iranian Kingship.” Commutatio et Contentio. Studies in the Late Roman, Sasanian, and Early Islamic Near East in Memory of Zeev Rubin (Wellem, 2010): 1-21. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “The Art and Ritual of Manichaean Magic: Text, Object and Image from the Mediterranean to Central Asia.” Objects in Motion: The Circulation of Religion and Sacred Objects in the Late Antique and Byzantine World (BAR, 2011): 73-88. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “The Transformation of Sacred Space, Topography and Royal Ritual in Persia and the Ancient Iranian World.” Heaven on Earth: Temples, Ritual, and Cosmic Symbolism in the Ancient World (Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago, 2013): Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Sasanian Rock Reliefs.” Oxford Handbook of Ancient Iran (Oxford, 2013): 856-77. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Building a New Vision of the Past in the Sasanian Empire: the Sanctuary of Lake Kayansih and the Great Fires of Iran.” Journal of Persianate Studies 5 (2013): 69-94. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Topographies of Power: Theorizing the Visual, Spatial and Ritual Contexts of Rock Reliefs in Ancient Iran.” Of Rocks and Water: Towards an Archaeology of Place (Oxbow, 2014): 53-92. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Seleukid Sacred Architecture, Royal Cult and the Transformation of Iranian Culture in the Middle Iranian Period.” Iranian Studies (2014): 1-27. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Textiles and Elite Tastes between the Mediterranean, Iran and Asia at the End of Antiquity.” Gobal Textile Encounters (2014): 1-15. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Dynastic Sanctuaries and the Transformation of Iranian Kingship between Alexander and Islam.” Of Architecture and Kingship: Strategies of Power in Iran from the Achaemenids to the Pahlavis (IB Tauris, 2015): 65-117. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Inscriptions, Royal Spaces and Iranian Identity: Epigraphic Practices in Persia and the Ancient Iranian World.” Viewing Inscriptions in the Late Antique and Medieval World (Cambridge, 2015): 10-35. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Emperor.” Late Ancient Knowing: Explorations in Intellectual History (UC Press, 2015): Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Bronze Sculpture in the Hellenistic East.” In Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World (Getty, 2015): 82-93. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Rival Images of Iranian Kingship and Persian Identity in Post-Achaemenid Western Asia.” Persianisms in Antiquity (2017): 200-222. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Methodological and Historiographical Notes on the ‘Paradise’ as an Iranian Royal Institution.” DABIR 1.3 (2017): 39-43. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cross-Cultural Communication in the Hellenistic Mediterranean, and Western and South Asia.” Mercury’s wings : exploring modes of communication in the ancient world (Oxford, 2017): 249-272. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Sasanian Iran and the Projection of Power in Late Antique Eurasia: Competing Cosmologies and Topographies of Power.” In Empires and Exchanges in Eurasian Late Antiquity: Rome, China, Iran, and the Steppe, ca. 250-750. (Cambridge, 2018). Link
Canepa, Matthew P. and Johnathan Hardy, “Persian Palace Architecture, Garden Design and Digital Archaeology.” In Sasanian Iran in the Context of Late Antiquity. The Bahari Lecture Series at the University of Oxford. Ancient Iran Series 6. Irvine, CA: Jordan Center for Persian Studies, 2018. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “‘Afghanistan’ as the Cradle and Pivot of Empires: Reshaping Eastern Iran’s Topography of Power under the Seleucids and their Successors.” In Limits of Empire. Rule and Resistance in the Hindu Kush, circa 600 BCE-650 CE. Eds. R. Payne and R. King, 45-80. Classica et Orientalia 24. Wiesbaden: Harrassowitz Verlag, 2020. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Iran under the Parthian and Sasanian Dynasties.” In The Oxford World History of Empire. Volume Two: The History of Empires. Eds. C.A. Bayly, P. Bang and W. Scheidel, 290-324. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Living Like Kings.” Apollo: The International Art Magazine (Feb. 2021): 48-53. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “The Getty Stag Rhyton and Parthian Court Aristocratic Culture: New Epigraphic and Technical Discoveries.” The Getty Research Journal 13 (2021): 1-30. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Commagene Before and Beyond Antiochus I: Dynastic Identity, Topographies of Power and Persian Spectacular Religion.” In The Common Dwelling Place of all the Gods: Commagene in its Local, Regional and Global Hellenistic Context. Eds. Michael Blömer, Stefan Riedel, Miguel John Versluys and Engelbert Winter, 71-101. Oriens et Occidens 34. Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag: 2021. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “”Sculpting in Time: Rock Reliefs, Inscriptions and the Transformation of Iranian Memory and Identity.” In Afterlives of Ancient Rock-Cut Monuments in the Ancient Near East: Carvings in and Out of Time. Eds. J. Ben-Dov and Felipe Rojas, 221-271. Leiden: Brill, 2021. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “The Persian Royal Image.” Essay for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P.” The Seleucid Empire and the Creation of a New Iranian World.” In

Iran and the Transformation of Ancient Near Eastern History: The Seleucids (ca. 312-150 BCE). Eds. T. Daryaee, R. Rollinger and M. Canepa. Classica et Orientalia 31. Wiesbaden: Harrasowitz, 2023.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Staging the Body of the Lord of the Sevenfold World. Methectic Spaces and Chiasmatic Viewing in Sasanian Iran.” In Staging the Ruler’s Body in Medieval Cultures: A Comparative Perspective. Eds. M. Bacci, G. Grigoryan, and M. Studer-Karlen, 21-47. Turnhout: Brepols, 2023. Link
Canepa, Matthew P. “Beyond Imperial Cosmology and Cosmopolitanism: Understanding Perso-Iranian Visual, Material and Political Cultures and their Afro-Eurasian Impact.” In Persian Cultures of Power: Iranian Empires and the Entanglement of the Afro-Eurasian World. Ed. M. Canepa. Issues and Debates. Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute Publications, 2024.
Canepa, Matthew P.“‘Position and Honor’: Iranian Sartorial and Commensal Politics and the Creation of a New Afro-Eurasian Visual and Material Culture of Power.” In Persian Cultures of Power: Iranian Empires and the Entanglement of the Afro-Eurasian World. Ed. M. Canepa. Issues and Debates. Los Angeles: Getty Research Institute Publications, 2024.
“Envisioning Dualism and Emplacing the Eschaton: Apocalyptic Eschatology and Empire in Sasanian Iran.” In Empires and Gods: The Role of Religions in Imperial History. Eds. J. Rüpke et al., 135-175. Berlin: De Gruyter, 2024. Link

Exhibition Catalogue Entries

Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 107: Bowl with an Anchor and a Dolphin.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 108: Rhyton in the Form of a Lynx.” (86.AM.752.1) Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 109: Rhyton in the Form of a Lynx.” (86.AM.752.2) Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 110: Rhyton in the Form of a Lion.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 111: Rhyton in the Form of a Stag.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 165: Bowl with Royal Inscription.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 167: Plate with Portrait Bust.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 166: Bowl with Medallions.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P.“Cat. 165: Cup with portraits of Bahram II and his Family.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 168: Bowl with Enthroned King.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 170: Plate with a King and Queen.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 172: Plate with a King Hunting Rams.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 173: Plate with a Hormizd II or Hormizd III Hunting Lions.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 174: Plate with a King (Bahram Gur?) Hunting Ostriches.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 175: Plate with Bahram Gur and Azadeh.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 176: Plate with Tiger.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 182: Ewer with Dancing Females.” (New York, Metropolitan Museum) Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 183: Ewer with Dancing Females.” (Washington D.C., National Museum of Asian Art) Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 184: Rhyton with a Head of a Caprid.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 186: Plate with a Goddess.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 170: Plate with a King and Queen.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 187: Plate the Triumph of Dionysos.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 170: Plate with a King and Queen.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 186: Plate with Youths and Winged Horses.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 188: Plate with Youths and Winged Horses.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Cat. 189: Plate with Herakles and the Erymanthian Boar.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. (co-authored with Jeffrey Spiers), “Cat. 190: Phalera with Human Face.” Entry for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Parthian Silver.” Essay for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Parthian Rhyta from the J. Paul Getty Museum Collection.” Essay for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Sasanian Silver.” Essay for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, accepted for publication, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “Silver Plates with Hunting Scenes.” Essay for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.
Canepa, Matthew P. “The Transformation of Classical Paideia in Sasanian Visual Culture.” Essay for the exhibition catalogue Persia: Iran and the Classical World. Eds. J. Spier, T. Potts, and S. Cole. Los Angeles: J. Paul Getty Museum, 2022.