Charlotte Howley

Charlotte Howley is a second year PhD student in Iranian Studies. She completed her BA in Literae Humaniores at the University of Oxford, where she first gained an interest in Achaemenid Persia, writing an Optional Thesis on the Elephantine Papyri, and learning both Old Persian and Imperial Aramaic over Zoom alongside her studies. She then completed an MSt in Oriental Studies, also at Oxford, co-supervised by Professors Peter Thonemann and Yuhan Vevaina, where she continued with Aramaic and learned both Young and Old Avestan. Her interests centre on Gender, Sexuality and Religion at the Achaemenid court, links between Mesopotamian and Achaemenid religious and courtly traditions, and the religious and social roles of eunuchs in Achaemenid courtly culture. She is eager to develop her knowledge of the broader pre-Islamic Iranian world at UCLA, and improve her knowledge of Middle Iranian languages, along with her understanding of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East.