Allyson King graduated magna cum laude from Gettysburg College in 2010 with a B.S. in Classical Studies and Environmental Studies. Her primary interests right now are in examining ancient environmental history (mostly resource use), especially in the early Roman Empire. Volunteering at the archaeological dig at the Arbeia Roman Fort in South Shields, England in 2009 led her to focus on Roman Britain for her undergraduate thesis, “Uses of Oysters in Roman Britain: A Blending of Cultures,” in which she examined the uses and perceptions of oysters and pearls in Roman Britain through military, religious, and everyday contexts and compared these to the oyster and pearl cultures in Italy and in pre-Roman Britain.