Latin and history teacher Dr. Geoffrey Ludvik is a biblical archeologist who’s passionate about making history relatable to his students in order to get them excited about it too. Geoffrey often shares his archeological adventures with his students and brings in replicas of the artifacts he’s discovered in order to bring the course material to life. He believes an understanding of history is essential for mature adulthood, as it offers invaluable wisdom from those who have gone before us. 

A specialist and published author on stone ornament production and the reconstruction of ancient trade networks, Geoffrey often conducts his research over the summer months, sometimes collaborating with his wife Denise who’s a microbiologist.

Geoffrey has a Ph.D. in anthropology (archaeology) with an emphasis in Near Eastern archaeology and Hebrew and Semitic studies, an M.A. in anthropology, and a B.A. in classical humanities and anthropology, all from the UW-Madison. Specializing in the history and archaeology of the land of the Bible and of the Eastern Mediterranean more broadly, he has taught courses in world archaeology, general anthropology, ancient technology, Egypt and the Near East, classical mythology, and classical Latin during his graduate studies. He is also a staff member of the Tell el-Hesi Regional Project in Israel, excavating a tenth century BCE Israelite border outpost called Khirbet Summeily. He is a member of the Catholic Bible Association and the American Schools of Oriental Research and is currently an honorary fellow at UW-Madison, as well as an Archaeological Research Affiliate with the Cobb Institute of Archaeology at Mississippi State University.