Assistant Professor
Matthew Delvaux joined the Barnard faculty in 2024. He is a medieval historian of marginalized peoples and interregional connections. His work includes research on Latin, Old English, Old Norse, and Arabic texts, complemented by interests in archaeological approaches, material studies, and digital methods. His current project, “Unwilling Journey: Human Traffic in the Viking World,” follows the stories of viking captives taken from Western Europe, trafficked through Northern Europe, and sold into slave markets along the ʿAbbāsid frontiers in Central Asia. Necklace beads—made in the east, traded through the north, and worn in the west—play an important role in this research. Delvaux is also a contributing member to “Textile Colours of the Viking Age,” a research project housed at the National Museum of Denmark and supported by Danmarks Frie Forskningsfond.
Delvaux received his PhD in history from Boston College, where he also taught world history as a Visiting Assistant Professor. He then joined the Princeton Society of Fellows, where his courses examined such topics as the western canon, early medieval craftwork, premodern ecotravel, and intersections between apocalypticism and worldviews. Delvaux was previously awarded an MA in history and a certificate in archaeology from the University of Florida, as well as a BS in history and foreign languages from the United States Military Academy at West Point. His research has been supported by organizations including the Medieval Academy of America and the American-Scandinavian Foundation, and his work appears in such venues as Medieval Europe and the Journal of Glass Studies.
