Mr Tony Potter

Academic biography 

My academic journey began in 2009 when I enrolled at the Open University, undertaking the newly launched Level 1 Arts & Humanities module, AA100: The Arts Past & Present. At the time, the university did not offer a named degree in Classical Studies, so I pursued a flexible pathway that combined general History modules with Classical Studies, ultimately graduating with a BA (Hons) in History.

Motivated by a childhood interest and a desire to deepen my engagement with the Ancient World, I immediately progressed to an MA in Classical Studies, also at the Open University. My Master’s thesis, Perceptions of Healthfulness: Intersensoriality in the Roman Gardens of the Late Republic and Early Imperial Period, explored the multisensory experiences of Roman garden spaces, their cultural significance, and their perceived impact on health and wellbeing. 

Building on the theoretical foundations of my MA, I commenced a PhD in Classical Studies at the Open University, where I am currently researching sensory change in Caeretan funerary contexts. My doctoral thesis, Sensory Change in the Funerary Assemblages of Etruscan Cerveteri, is jointly supervised by Professor Phil Perkins and Dr E-J Graham. In May 2025, followed by a competitive process, I was awarded an Open-Oxford-Cambridge (OOC) studentship to support the completion of my research.

Research interests

My doctoral research focuses on funerary assemblages from the southern Etruscan city of Caere (modern-day Cerveteri). It investigates how the sensory affordances generated by these assemblages changed over time, thus shedding light on shifting ritual practices and material engagements within Caeretan mortuary culture. My research is underpinned by Assemblage Theory, a key framework within Deleuzian New Materialism, which reconceptualises reality as vibrant, dynamic, relational, and constituted of heterogeneous elements that are constantly 'becoming'. Essentially, New Materialism asks us to think differently about the world around us, it asks us to consider what 'things' are capable of doing rather than merely asking us to think about their assigned symbolic function. A New Materialist approach such as the one being developed and applied in my research will facilitate a nuanced exploration of the materiality and the changes in multisensory experience over time in Caeretan funerary assemblages. Moreover, it will provide a proven new method that can be applied to other ancient world case studies