Hi there, you're listening to The Hellenistic Age podcast.

Interview episode, Globalization in the ancient Mediterranean and Indian Ocean with Dr. Serena Artiero.

Hello everyone.

Joining us in the show today is Dr. Serena Artiero, a research associate of the Center for Religious Studies and Digitization of Ganderin Artifacts Project at the Rurur Universitat

Bokrum.

A PhD graduate of the University of Rome, Dr. Otiero is an expert in South Asian art and archaeology, focusing extensively on transcultural contexts across Eurasia.

Past papers of hers include best figurines from Roman Egypt as agents of transculturation in the Indian Ocean, and today she is here

to discuss her work on globalization in the ancient Mediterranean and Western Indian Ocean.

First off, let me just say thank you very much for setting aside your evening to appear on the

podcast. Thank you, Derek, for having me here. It's a pleasure and a honor for me to join your

podcast. Now, would you

care to give us a brief insight into your background and what led you to focusing on the relationship

between South Asia and the Mediterranean? Well, I know I should probably focus on my academic

background after your question, but there are a number of variables in our personal life that actually

end up shaping our professional profile. And in my case, let's say my origin story, strictly

relate to the place I had the luck to be born in. Because I'm from a small town, let's say,

more or less between Naples in southern Italy and Pompeii.

I think you all know Pompeii.

So I was raised in an archaeological oriented mind.

And in Naples, there's one of the best universities of Asian studies in all of Europe. So for the luck was that when I graduated

high school, the university just inaugurated a BA in Asian Archaeological Heritage. So I just

jump in it and said, okay, let's follow some classes there and see how it goes. And I realized

...