Joonas
Vanhala
Areas of expertise
Biography
In 2019 I graduated with a Master of Arts from University of Turku with a major in Latin philology and minors in Greek philology and education. Before that I had graduated with a Master of Theology from Åbo Akademi University in 2015, focusing mainly on the theology and the writings of the early Christian church.
I began my doctoral research in the fall of 2020. During the academic year 2021–2022 I was a fellow at the Finnish Institute in Rome. Since then I've worked on my PhD as a salaried researcher and with grants at the University of Turku. I'm also a member in a research project at the Finnish Institute in Rome.
Teaching
In the spring term of 2024 I taught a course on the poetry of Martial. I've also given individual lectures on courses on Latin Epigraphy, Linguistic Landscapes, Everyday Life in Antiquity, and the Romes of Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages.
I taught Latin on the secondary, adult education and university levels between 2007 and 2024. I've given guests lectures on my research at various schools and events.
Research
My PhD research at the University of Turku focuses on ancient Roman insults and stereotypes in the poems of Martial and Pompeian wall inscriptions. The working title of my dissertaition is "From Stereotypes to Insults – Contextualizing Popular Invective in the poems of Martial and Pompeian Graffiti".
Our project led by professor Arja Karivieri at the Finnish Institute in Rome examines the history of Ostia, the harbour town of Rome, in late antiquity and in the early middle ages. My research focuses on the theater of Ostia and how the building was used during this late period.
Between 2023 and 2025 I edited, together with Maria Jokela, a book on Gaius Julius Caesar (Gaius Julius Caesar – Rooman diktaattorin monet kasvot, Gaudeamus, 2025). The book was awarded the prize for the best Finnish non-fiction book on a biographical topic by the magazine Kanava and Otava Literary Foundation.