Carl is an archaeologist specializing on cross-cultural interactions in north Africa, western Asia, and the Mediterranean during the Bronze Age. He earned his BA in Egyptology from the University of Cambridge and PhD in Mediterranean and western Asian archaeology from University College London. He previously worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Barnes Foundation in Philadelphia and the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World at Brown University.
Carl’s research focuses on the materiality of objects and the body, and how these can offer glimpses into the past experiences of ancient peoples, particularly across cultural boundaries. (See for example his co-edited volume Tracing Gestures, The Art and Archaeology of Bodily Communication). His current publications focus on the material culture—such as board games, cosmetics, furniture, and pottery—of the Middle Bronze Age kingdom of Kerma (Kush) in modern Sudan, and how these object typologies reveal complex interactions with other royal and elite centers across north Africa and western Asia. He is more broadly interested in ancient diplomacy, models of African statehood, phenomenology of architecture, and the roles of games in human societies.
At ISAW Carl is working with the exhibitions team in crafting accessible and engaging stories about the ancient world, starting with the November 2023 exhibition Through the Lens: Latif Al Ani's Visions of Ancient Iraq. He is passionate about museum research, education, and outreach, and is currently exploring concepts of authenticity and the ethics of using antiquities forgeries, replicas, and casts in museums. This is explored in an upcoming paper “What to do with Fakes? Modern Productions of Ancient Egyptian Objects as Pedagogical Tools in Museums,” which features in his co-edited volume Teaching Ancient Egypt in Museums: Pedagogies in Practice. This volume delves into ethical best practices for engaging learners about ancient Egypt using museum objects, through co-authored essays that reflect on the teaching experiences and techniques of museum educators, scholars, docents, artists, and students from all across the world.