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4/14/2026

Introducing Dr. Caitlin Mims

College of Fine Arts

Congratulations to Dr. Caitlin Mims, who defended her dissertation “Reproductive Amulets and Female Health in the Middle Byzantine Period (843–1204 CE)” under the direction of Dr. Lynn Jones in the spring of 2026.

Caitlin specializes in the art and material culture of the medieval world with a focus on the Byzantine empire. Her research explores how the lives and beliefs of medieval peoples are reflected in domestic and minor art objects. Her dissertation examines one aspect of daily life and considers the material culture of reproduction in the middle Byzantine period. By analyzing the amulets women wore during and after pregnancy to protect themselves and their offspring, Dr. Mims reevaluates the intertwined histories of magic, medicine, and religion in the Middle Byzantine period. Dr. Jones writes, “Caitlin has established hystera amulets as a clearly defined subfield in the discipline of Byzantine art history, which is a remarkable feat.”

Dr. Mims received support for her research from multiple sources, including the International Center of Medieval Art, the FSU Department of Art History, and the College of Fine Arts, which allowed her to conduct research at multiple museums and archives in the U.S. and Europe. She also spent 9 months conducting research in Greece and Türkiye as a recipient of the Fulbright Greece-Turkey Joint Research Award. 

She has presented her research at many international and national conferences, including the Byzantine Studies Conferences in 2023 and 24, International Congresses of Byzantine Studies (2026 and 22), and the International Congress on Medieval Studies in 2022.
 
Regarding her advisor and colleagues at FSU, Caitlin writes, “I could not have completed this project without the support and encouragement of my advisor, Dr. Lynn Jones. I am profoundly grateful to her, as well as to my peers and colleagues in the Department of Art History for their support, mentorship, and friendship over the past years.”
 
Outside of her doctoral work, Caitlin has taught a variety of courses at both the undergraduate and graduate level. At FSU, she has taught at the main campus in Tallahassee and at the Study Center in Florence, Italy. Dr. Mims is currently an instructor at the University of Georgia, where she teaches introductory courses in art history and upper-level courses in medieval art at the Lamar Dodd School of Art.