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Shipwrecks and the Transport of Luxury in the Roman Mediterranean
Carrie Atkins
During the late Republic and early Empire, Rome had a voracious appetite for importing luxury objects from around the Mediterranean: spices from the Arabian Peninsula, sculptures and bronzes from Greece, glassware from Egypt and the Levant, and textiles from India, to list a few examples. Some of these so-termed luxuries have been preserved in shipwrecks in the Mediterranean, yet these objects only represent a small portion of the overall cargoes. By examining several Roman shipwrecks (ca 200 BCE – 200 CE) that were transporting such luxury objects, I discuss how these assemblages force us to re-evaluate static definitions of luxury and assess the impact of mobility upon shifting social importance in multi-scalar networks. In particular, through considering cargoes as assemblages, I discuss agents who were often overlooked in literary accounts, and I de-centralize Rome as the main consumer of luxuries by showing the transportation of these goods to the western Mediterranean.
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Approaches to Reconstructing the Past: The Architecture of the Athenian Acropolis
Nancy Klein
In the early 19th century, the fledgling country of Greece devoted itself to establishing a national identity that reflected its classical heritage. The Acropolis of Athens was central to this vision and became a symbol of the birthplace of democracy and the humanistic arts. Efforts to free the classical monuments of the Acropolis from the overburden of later history saw the removal of many post-classical buildings in order to expose the Parthenon, the Erechtheion, the Propylaia, and the temple of Athena Nike. Excavation from modern ground levels to bedrock brought to light thousands of fragments of architecture, sculpture, pottery, and small finds from the early periods of activity on the Acropolis.
In this lecture, I present the results of my research on the architecture and design of the sanctuary on the Athenian Acropolis in archaic and early classical periods. My study began with the close examination of architectural blocks and an initial goal of determining the minimum number of buildings that existed and the individual characteristics of each structure. The visible details on each block, however, provided details for both the original design and final demise of each structure when its functional existence came to an end. This evidence, along with a careful reading of archival documents from the 19th century excavations, has allowed me to build a timeline for the construction, lifetime, and demolition of these buildings. My conclusions suggest that the Acropolis of Athens was a center of architectural innovation comparable to the panhellenic sanctuaries such as Delphi and Olympia, and the archaic buildings introduced Doric and Ionic forms echoed in later classical structures. Moreover, the programmatic reuse and recycling of damaged or redundant buildings in the fifth century suggests a complex approach to the design of the sanctuary on the Acropolis as an expression of constructed memory.
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New Fieldwork from Classical Olynthus, Greece: Towards an Archaeology of Identity
Lisa Nevett, University of Mississippi. Department of Classics, and Archaeological Institute of America
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The Landscape of Siege
Gwyn Davies, University of Mississippi. Department of Classics, and Archaeological Institute of America
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University of Mississippi Archaeology Showcase
Aileen Ajootian, Matthew Murray, Jacqueline DiBiasie-Sammons, and Nancy Wicker
Presentations about current research by UM archaeology professors and students.
4:30
WELCOME
4:35-4:45
“NEW CLOTHES FOR A HERO: HERAKLES AND GREEK IDENTITY AT ANCIENT OLYMPIA”
Dr. Aileen Ajootian
Professor of Classics and Art, Department of Classics
4:50-5:00
“WALKING THROUGH THE PAST: AN ARCHAEOLOGICAL INVESTIGATION OF 6000 YEARS OF PREHISTORY IN THE HEART OF BAVARIA, GERMANY”
Dr. Matthew Murray
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
5:05-5:15
"LINE DRAWINGS AND THE STUDY OF CAMPANIAN GRAFFITI"
Dr. Jacqueline DiBiasie-Sammons
Assistant Professor, Department of Classics
5:20– 5:30
"CERAMIC ANALYSES FROM 2019 EXCAVATIONS AT THE ELY MOUND, LEE COUNTY, VIRGINIA"
Shannon Wooten
Graduate Student, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
5:35 – 5:45
“THE MATERIALITY AND SENSORY EFFECTS OF SCANDINAVIAN GOLD JEWELRY"
Dr. Nancy Wicker
Professor of Art History, Chair, The Department of Art and Art History
5:50 – 6:00
"FROM COLLECTING TO CURATING: ORGANIZING A CENTURY OF LEGACY COLLECTIONS"
Dr. Tony Boudreaux and Dr. Maureen Meyers
Associate Professors of Anthropology, Department of Sociology and Anthropology
CLOSING REMARKS
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Of Canaanites and Kings: The Ongoing Excavation of a Middle Bronze Age Palace at Tel Kabri, Israel
Eric Cline, University of Mississippi. Department of Classics, and Archaeological Institute of America
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University of Mississippi Archaeology Showcase
Matthew Murray, Nancy Wicker, Jacqueline DiBiasie-Sammons, Aileen Ajootian, Arianna Kitchens, Madeleine McCracken, and Hannah Zechman
Presentations about current research by UM archaeology professors and students.
6:00 p.m. Dr. Matthew Murray
"Fragmented, wrapped and infected: new perspectives on death in Iron Age Central Europe"
6:10 p.m. Dr. Nancy Wicker
"Vikings in Iberia? Investigation of a Viking-style deer antler container in Léon, Spain"
6:20 p.m. Dr. Jacqueline DiBiasie-Sammons
"Photographing ancient graffiti: dStretch and Neutral Density Filters"
Break6:40 p.m. Arianna Kitchens, Madeline McCracken
"Inscriptions Lost in Time"
6:50 p.m. Hannah Zechman "Archaeological Investigations at Friendship Cemetery, Columbus, Mississippi"7:00 p.m. Dr. Aileen Ajootian
"Actium at Ancient Corinth: a Victory Monument for Octavian?"
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Riots in Rome!
Gregory S. Aldrete, University of Mississippi. Department of Classics, and Archaeological Institute of America
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The Secrets of David M. Robinson and the Olynthos Excavations
Alan Kaiser
Sometimes the best place to hide a secret is in plain sight. In the University Museum hangs a portrait of professor David M. Robinson, one of the great classical archaeologists in the United States during the 20th century. The celebrated man had a dark secret, however, known only to his former student, Mary Ellingson. Half a century after Robinson’s death the chance discovery of Ellingson’s forgotten scrapbook uncover Robinson’s secret and message hidden in Robinson’s portrait.
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War and Peace: Trojan War Scenes on a Black-Figure Krater at the University of Virginia
Tyler Jo Smith, University of Mississippi. Department of Classics, and Archaeological Institute of America
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Monuments and Monumental Sculpture from Aphrodisias
Maryl B. Gensheimer, University of Mississippi. Department of Classics, and Archaeological Institute of America
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Shakespeare's Romans: Rediscovering and Reinventing Julius Caesar
Brad L. Cook
An illustrated public lecture.
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Firing the Canon: Plaster Casts and their Discontents
Verity Platt, University of Mississippi. Department of Classics, and Archaeological Institute of America
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Preserving the Past: a Path to the Future
Nancy Wilkie
Looting, Repatriation, Archaeology in War Zones
