Professor Silverstein is an anthropological archaeologist with extensive international experience. He is affiliated with several international universities and he is an Explorer with the National Geographic Society. Professor Silverstein has extensive experience working with the US military searching for missing soldiers from past wars. In the search for the missing, Prof Silverstein developed a nationally recognized Enterprise Geographic Information System (GIS) to track the investigation and recovery of 80,000 MIAs. He has led archaeological expeditions around the world and directed major projects in Mexico, Guatemala and Egypt. Prof. Silverstein currently co-directs an archaeological project at the Graeco-Roman city of Thmouis (Tell Timai) in the Egyptian Nile Delta working on Egyptian, Graeco-Roman & Christianity material.

1. Empires of Bronze and Gold
Ancient coinage is one of the most informative and durable forms of evidence of ancient political power, personalities, and history. From Persia to the Fall of Rome, we examine the stories that money can tell.

2. Disasters in the Ancient World
Akrotiri, Knossos, Rhodes, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Alexandria, all cities that fell prey to natural disasters. Prof. Silverstein examines the impact of these disasters on the societies of the ancient world and on history.

3. Ghosts of WWII
Prof. Silverstein spent 17 years working with the US military to search for the remains of soldiers who never returned home. Here, he will discuss some of the cases from Egypt and the Middle East and explain the various intricacies of forensic archaeology and the search, recovery, and identification of the missing including cases from Italy.

4. Mystery Cults of Osiris and Isis in Greece and Rome
This talk will look into the so called mystery Cults of the Egyptian gods, Osiris and Isis which travelled overseas and reached the shores of Greece and Rome. The talk will look at archaeological evidence and textual inscriptions highlighting this unusual mix of cross cultural religion.

5. The Last Decades of the 3rd Century and the Fate of Western Civilization
In a few decades major events in the Mediterranean set the course of Western History. Pivotal events in the east in the Syrian Wars of the Hellenistic kingdoms and in the west with the Punic Wars shaped the future in dramatic strokes.

6. Empire on the Wine Dark Sea
The Rise of the Ptolemaic Sea Power in the Eastern Mediterranean.

7. Feast or Famine
Nilometers and Birth Houses, an examination of recent discoveries in the Nile Delta of sacred spaces associated with Fertility.

8. A Dead Man’s Tale - The Lost Story of the Rosetta Stone and the Great Rebellion of Ptolemy V
History has often ignored the text of the Rosetta Stone and instead viewed it just as a key to reading hieroglyphs. However, the events inscribed on the stone represent one of the most crucial turning points in the history of the world. The Egyptians rebelled against their Greek overlords, established their own pharaoh, and threatened the most powerful Hellenistic kingdom. Archaeological evidence from the Nile Delta sheds new light on these dramatic events.

9. Who was Moses, and did he really lead the Israelites out of Egypt.
In the last centuries of the 2nd millennia BCE, the Eastern Mediterranean roiled with migrations, raiding, and the collapse of some of the greatest nations that had yet existed. Out of this chaos, the story of the Jewish people emerged. Here we explore the events and peoples underlying the Legend of the Exodus.

10. Eau de Cleopatra: Perfume and the Rise and Fall of the Last Pharaoh in Alexandria
The Mendesian nome in the Nile Delta was the source of the most renowned perfume in the ancient world. Prof. Silverstein’s excavations have revealed a perfume factory. Chemical analysis of residues has revealed the secret ingredients, and colleagues in Germany have reconstructed the ancient fragrance. A hoard of treasure at the factory reveals a dark side of the ancient perfume industry and Cleopatra’s part in the purge of her wealthy enemies during her climb to power.

11. Empires of Bronze and Gold: Persian Athens, and Israel, Ancient Commerce on the Mediterranean Sea
Ancient coinage is one of the most informative and durable forms of evidence of ancient political power, personalities, and history. From Persia to the Fall of Rome, we examine the stories that money can tell.

12. The Rise and Fall of Osiris and Isis
Few Gods were as esteemed as Osiris, the king of the afterlife. With his sister-wife Isis and his son Horus, they formed a triumvirate that protected the very soul of humanity. We examine the rise of Osiris as a deity at the end of the Old Kingdom and his role as the guarantor of eternal life to Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans

13. Perfume Trade Routes
From Arabia, India, and Nubia, precious ingredients for manufacturing the most exotic perfumes flowed by caravan and ship. Important cities like Petra, Ashkelon, Berenike, and Mendes served as key hubs in these routes. We will examine how the networks operated and what they traded.

14. A New Discovery of a lost Temple of the Last Pharaohs - The Great Mendes Stele tells of a temple built at the order of Ptolemy II Philadelphus to honor his recently deceased sister-Wife, Arsinoe II. Archaeological work at Tell Timai has located this temple.

15. The Death of Lucretia and Roman Honour
An amazing number of turning points in history find a catalyst in revenge for rape and sexual assault. The Roman Empire, the most powerful shaping force in Western History, exemplifies how sexual assault can overthrow the abusers of power.

16. Money, moneyers, and politics in Ancient Rome
While coinage and the modern concept of capitalism arguably emerged out of Persia, it was Rome that developed the role of money in the political economy of the Western world. By examining who minted coins, why they minted them, and how they minted them, windows into money and politics in the Roman world shed light on the complexity of the Roman way of government.

17. Stories in Bronze and Gold: what ancient coins tell us about Rome
Continuing with the topic of Roman coinage, I examine the evolving role of coins as tools of propaganda, worship, and commemoration in the first centuries of the Roman Empire.

18. The Misadventures of Pyrrhus
One of the most interesting characters and greatest generals of history is Pyrrhus of Epirus. Yet, despite his reputation, his legacy mostly lies in the use of his name in the term Pyrrhic Victory, nothing less than a great success. Here we examine the life of Pyrrhus and the character flaw that scarred his legacy.

19. The Children of Cleopatra
Much has been said about Cleopatra VII, the seducer of Julius Caesar and Marc Anthony, but little attention is given to the children she bore with them. Here we look at the family relations and loves of Cleopatra and consider the fate of the fruits of her love.

20. Sicily and the Punic Wars
Throughout history, Sicily has played the role of a lynchpin in the geopolitical relations of North Africa and Italy. Here we examine Sicily during the Punic and how it was decided that Rome rather than Carthage would rule the Mediterranean Sea.

21. Ghosts of War (up to 4 lectures)
Prof. Silverstein spent 17 years working with the US military to search for the remains of soldiers who never returned home. Here, he will discuss some of the cases from Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and Thailand and explain the various intricacies of forensic archaeology and the search, recovery, and identification of the missing.

22. Ghosts of WWII
Prof. Silverstein spent 17 years working with the US military to search for the remains of soldiers who never returned home. Here, he will discuss some of the cases from Papua New Guinea, Kiribati, and Guadalcanal, and explain the various intricacies of forensic archaeology and the search, recovery, and identification of the missing.

23. Polynesian Explorations
Prof. Silverstein follows the cultural and genetic trail made by the Polynesian colonization of the Pacific Ocean.

24. The Wallace Line
Prof Silverstein explores the Wallace Line and how it explains the unique nature and variation of animals in Indo-Australian Archipelago and Circum-Pacific region.

25. Kula Rings and the Pacific World Systems
Prof Silverstein discusses the ritual traditions of Pacific peoples from an anthropological perspective highlighting the way the interplay and balance necessary in the relation between human behavior and environment.

I have previous experience on Oceana and Celebrity.