Dr. Jonathan Conant, a specialist on the Vandal tribes of late-antique North Africa, appears on the History Channel's BARBARIANS II (DVD, 2007).

According to the History Channel, "This second volume in acclaimed Barbarians series...follows four of history's most fearsome tribes: the Vandals, the Saxons, the Franks, and the Lombards, as they cut a swath of destruction through the heart of the Roman world. BARBARIANS II recreates the world of these invaders through even more intense stunts, large-scale battle re-enactments, and a fast-paced, exciting narrative. The whistle of the war axe and the clank of the shield will ring in viewers' ears as these four programs bring the epochal clash of civilizations to life as never before."

Dr. Conant joined USD's History Department in 2005. His dissertation, completed in 2004 at Harvard University, focused on "Staying Roman: Vandals, Moors, and Byzantines in Late Antique North Africa, 400-700." He is interested in the question of what it meant to be Roman in the wake of the collapse of Roman power, specifically in the region of modern Tunisia and Algeria. His study emphasizes the extent and the importance of North African cultural and political involvement in the late ancient Mediterranean world.

His classes include "Roman Civilization," "The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire," "Ancient Greece," and "Castles & Crusades." In Fall 2007, he will team-teach an honors course on "The World of Augustine" with a professor in the Philosophy Department. He is also planning a class on "Roman North Africa."

Dr. Conant previously was employed as a Visiting Assistant Professor at Columbia University. He has received a number of awards and scholarships, including a Junior Fellowship in Byzantine Studies from Dunbarton Oaks, Washington, a Packard Fellowship from Harvard, a Jacob K. Javits Fellowship, and a number of teaching awards. He received his B.A. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.