Biography

John M. Hunt (PhD, Ohio State University) is an assistant professor of medieval and early modern history at Utah Valley University.  His research focuses broadly on street life, popular culture and community in early modern Rome and the Papal States.  He has written articles on such diverse topics as rumor and the papal election, ambassadors and their carriages, and betting on the promotion of cardinals and popes. His essay on male violence and carriages in early modern Rome won I Tatti’s Best Essay by a Junior Scholar.  His book, The Vacant See in Early Modern Rome, was published by Brill in March 2016.    

Project Summary

This project explores the culture of gambling in early modern Italy.  Specifically, it will use criminal sources found in Florence, Rome and other Italian cities to locate the spaces of gambling in urban centers and to understand the sociability that connected gamblers from different backgrounds together.