Frank Lee Holt
Professor
Return to Faculty Listing»
- Phone: (713) 743-3127
- Email: fholt@uh.edu
- Office: 536 Agnes Arnold Hall
Dr. Holt (MA, PhD University of Virginia) is one of the world’s leading authorities on Alexander the Great, Hellenistic Asia, and numismatics. He has published five books and over fifty articles. His research has been featured on The History Channel and has frequently been cited in such places as National Geographic, Smithsonian, BBC Current Affairs, and The New Republic; one of his recent books provides a plot twist in the NYT best-selling novel The Venetian Betrayal. Holt is also a prolific writer for the public, with essays appearing in Newsweek, Archaeology Magazine, History Today, Archaeology Odyssey, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Saudi Aramco World, and other widely read publications. A popular speaker, Dr. Holt has lectured worldwide for academic and general audiences.
Teaching
Dr. Holt has twice received the University Teaching Excellence Award, as well as the CLASS Master Teacher Award and numerous other classroom honors. Dr. Holt’s undergraduate and graduate courses include The Study of Early Civilizations, Greek History, Roman History, Alexander the Great, Hellenistic History, and Numismatics.
Research Interests
Dr. Holt has devoted much of his career to two great frontiers, one of subject matter and the other of methodology. In subject matter, his work pushes far beyond the familiar centers of classical culture such as Athens and Rome to explore the vigorous interactive edges of ancient civilizations in places such as Afghanistan. He has achieved this by developing innovative numismatic methodologies, now called the new frontier of Ancient Studies, to write histories where traditional literary sources do not survive. This research has earned several awards, including the Aristotle Prize from Greece. His most recent study of Alexander’s eastern campaigns has been incorporated into the curriculum of the new National Military Academy of Afghanistan.
Selected Publications
- Into the Land of Bones: Alexander the Great in Afghanistan (University of California Press, 2005).
- Alexander the Great and the Mystery of the Elephant Medallions (University of California Press, 2003).
- Thundering Zeus: The Making of Hellenistic Bactria (University of California Press, 1999).