Under the Umbrian Sun

Minos Attempts to Kill Baby Minotaur

2011-12-28T10:42:00.000-06:00

One Saturday this past summer I had a chance to visit the absolutely amazing archaeological museum in Perugia. Among the wonders of their collection are a large number of Etruscan and Roman cinerary urns. One of the most popular motifs among their decorated cinerary urns is the sacrifice of Iphegenia, about which I hope to post more soon. However, among the multiple examples of the sacrifice of Iphegenia, I encountered one scene I had never seen before on a cinerary urn, or any other medium for that matter: Minos' encounter with baby Minotaur.

travertine cinerary urn of a woman -- from territory of Perugia -- 2nd century BCE

The scene includes Pasiphaë on the ground, naked with a blanket around her; two standing women, the one on the right holding a baby with what could be a bull's face; and Minos, on the far right with sword raised, threatening to kill baby Minotaur, Pasiphaë, or maybe both.

The grown Minotaur appears was a popular theme in Greek (particularly Athenian) art, and I know of one example of the baby Minotaur on Pasiphaë's lap, depicted in a red-figure kylix from Eturia (of Attic manufacture), below.

Pasiphaë and the Minotaur. Tondo of an Attic red-figure kylix, 340-320 BC. From Vulci. Now at BnF -- Paris, Cabinet de Medailles.

There are also multiple examples of Theseus and the Minotaur. However, the Perugia urn was the first example I had seen of Minos' encounter with Pasiphaë's newborn son and the attempt at violence that followed. Why this would be a fitting subject for a cinerary urn at all, I am unsure. Perhaps the kylix from Etruria indicates that the story of baby Minotaur was popular in Northern Italy by the fourth century, in which case the cinerary urn could suggest the continuing popularity of the theme into the second century. However, I would like to find out if there are other representations of the birth scene and Minos' reaction from northern Italy, or elsewhere. So, if readers know of any additional examples, please send them on!

Sant'Arnaldo

2011-12-27T07:38:00.001-06:00

On weekends the past summer, I was able to visit some of the medieval churches near Massa Martana. One of those churches was dedicated to Sant'Arnaldo. The church is dated to the late 13th century, according to the Commune di Massa Martana. The facade, below, and details, show indications of later repairs. Also visible at the rear of the church, is a residence, presumably used in former times by those associated with the church.

For the curious visitor, a helpful sign reveals that Sant' Arnaldo is a special protector against the malady of hernias.

Vicus ad Martis at the AIA

2011-12-01T09:20:00.000-06:00

I (along with other teams members) will be presenting the results of the 2011 excavations at the AIA Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, Jan. 5-8, 2012.

Our presentation will be in Session 6 (Roman Italy), on Saturday, Jan. 7, from 2:45-5:15. The conference program and website is here. It should be a good session. I hope to see some readers there!

Last days of 2011 excavation

2011-07-13T04:31:00.000-05:00

Our last day of formal excavation for the 2011 season was on Tuesday, July 12. In the last days before the end of the season we were able to further clarify some of the building phases and their relationship to a road running through the Vicus, as seen in the photo below.

In one of the larger trenches, we discovered the foundations of a significant structure, which, judging from its depth, is one of the earliest at the site.

The foundations of the large structure are about at the level of the water table, which made deeper excavation impractical this season.

Trenches in other areas of the site discovered sizable foundations at about the same depth, below foundations belonging to later phases. As in the trench pictured below, these foundations were also discovered at considerable depth, at about the level of the water table.

We will have a public briefing about the excavation this afternoon, at 3:30, at San Pietro sopra le Acque, a resort hotel in a former convent.

The high speed USB modem

2011-07-06T23:44:00.000-05:00

As readers may have noticed, my blogging ceased after the first week or so. This was partly due to problems with Wi-Fi at our residence in Italy and (more significantly) being chased out of our office in Massa Martana by the hosts of the Micro-Olympics, who commandeered the office for organizing the event. The office contained the LAN line used by the excavation. However, I have been able to get back on line for the last week, thanks to what I consider an absolutely amazing device, the high speed USB modem.

Apparently I am one of the last people to know about these devices, but they way the work, and that this one (from TIM) works so well, I find incredible. It is faster than the hard line in our (former) office. TIM's version of this device works sort of like their pay-as-you-go cell phones. It is loaded with a SIM card and, in this case, you prepay for a number of hours and can buy more. For anyone traveling for long periods in Italy, I highly recommend these things. This one, at least, is fast enough for Skyping, which saves quite a bit on international long distance.

And with that, I will leave you with a nice picture of some of the small finds from the excavation, including a nice little unguentarium.

Interesting finds

2011-07-04T23:35:00.001-05:00

In the excavation of the areas associated with the Vicus we have had some interesting finds in the last week, including this amphora toe,

which appears to be from an amphora similar in type to the one next to this little girl, seen in the Spoleto museum:

The amphora toe was discovered resting on a surface, which should help to date the surrounding walls and structure.

Excavation Begins

2011-06-12T10:24:00.000-05:00

Last week we cleared one of the areas we will be excavating this season. Geomagnetic surveys from previous years indicate substantial remains below the surface along the (probable) Via Flaminia in this area. In the photo below, you can see the tractor clearing the grass, which was later bailed and hauled away.

We expanded the grid used in previous season to include this new area and marked the points of the grid with poles, as seen in the photo below.

With the grid marked out, we began excavating three, 2x2 meter test trenches, chosen strategically based on the data from the geomagnetic surveys.

Excavation this week was complicated by occasional rains and muddy soil. However, we hope to get below topsoil in the next few days.

Planning and Exploring

2011-06-07T03:43:00.001-05:00

The faculty have arrived for this seasons excavations. Our accommodations, provided by Angelantoni Industrie, our corporate sponsor, appear to be well-suited for our purposes.

Today we are examining the survey data from last season, designing our grid expansion for this season, and discussing where will place our first test trenches in the areas.

Yesterday we did a bit of exploring along the Via Flaminia south of the site -- looking at some of the retaining walls near the via, and some possible evidence of ancient structures nearby. One such wall appears below.

The student volunteers arrive later today. Stay tuned!

Gearing Up -- Hats

2011-06-02T14:08:00.001-05:00

Next week we begin the 2011 excavations at the Vicus ad Martis, and I am packing my bags. About this time last year I blogged about excavation footwear, noting that Italian law states that excavators must wear steel-toed boots. Last year I duly complied with a nice pair of Timberlands -- suitable for digging, "This Old House," and 90s hip-hop. They served me well and survived for another season. They will be coming with me. My only choice -- wear them and save room in my bag, or pack them and have a more comfortable flight. I'm leaning toward the latter.

Last season's hat, however, did not survive. My straw hat, a faithful companion since ca. 1998, died in Provence post-dig. It now rests in peace somewhere near Aix-en-Provence. What better place for a straw hat to see its final days? Of course, that means that I must choose a new hat. This summer I'm going with the Tilley Hat. This hat has die-hard fans in diverse corners of the globe, and it does appear to be well made. I've had a number of imitation Tilleys over the years, but this time I decided to cough up the money and buy a real one. I admit, I am sucker for their advertising.

They highlight Canadian workmanship (I suppose those guys earn a living wage) and the lifetime warranty. The literature that comes with the hat (yes, it comes with something like a manual) suggests that the owner is now part of club of adventure hat connoisseurs. Oh, and the hat floats -- a feature I doubt I will be able to take advantage of. Although, we did get down below the water table last summer.

I've been testing out the Tilley -- painting the backyard fence, walking to the park. So far, it has held up well in the Oklahoma summer. We will see if it can take digging in Umbria!

Bill Thayer on Santa Maria in Pantano

2011-03-31T11:05:00.001-05:00

Bill Thayer has recently updated the entry on the Church of Santa Maria in Pantano in his gazetteer of churches in Umbria. The entry has a well-illustrated description of the phases of construction of the church, the decorative blocks and spolia used in the church, the altar inscription, and other things.

Santa Maria in Pantano is right next to the excavations at Vicus ad Martis. In fact, excavators often have drinks and snacks at the bar built into the remains adjacent to the church. So, if you are headed to the Vicus this summer, have a look at Thayer's description; we will spend quite a bit of time around the church. Also, if you've been to Santa Maria in the past, have a look as well; the entry does a good job of explaining things that you might have seen, but not recognized or understood.

Information Session

2011-03-28T13:52:00.001-05:00

I will be holding an information session on Friday, April 1, at 3 p.m., in Robertson 118, at the University of Oklahoma. If you are a student interested in going to Umbria to dig for three weeks while earning four college credits, come on down to the information session!

For more information about this summer, check out the latest flier below!

Road framing at the Vicus

2011-02-01T16:44:00.001-06:00

The director of the Vicus ad Martis excavations, John Muccigrosso, has recently published a report of the 2008-2009 excavations – “The 2008 & 2009 Excavation Seasons at the Vicus ad Martis Tudertium,” FOD&R 185 (2010). The article contains a number of high-quality photos, succinct descriptions of the findings from those seasons, and the goals of the 2010-2011 seasons. Readers can find the entire article here, for free.

The article contains a photograph and description of the probable remains of a wooden beam and stake, which appears to have framed the road – most likely the Via Flaminia -- found in the eastern section of the excavations. The wooden feature was excavated by Dr. Sarah Harvey of Kent State, who recognized it by a change in soil. A less cautious and attentive archaeologist would certainly have dug though it, but Dr. Harvey was able to carefully articulate the remains of the feature. Attentive readers will recall that I joined the Vicus ad Martis team in 2010, so I did not see the feature’s excavation. However, I did have Harvey’s description in 2010, and Muccigrosso’s article presents a clear account of it. The photo below is from Muccigrosso’s article.

While the wooden beam clearly runs parallel to the road and served a purpose in its construction, the comparanda for wooden materials used beneath the surface of Roman roads are limited, due to the perishable nature of the material. Thus, there are remaining questions concerning the purpose of the beam, and how common such wooden beams were in Roman road construction. I think there may be a parallel in the use of wooden frameworks in the Via Mansuerisca in Belgium. While reading about Roman roads on a snowy day in Oklahoma (classes have been canceled for the second day in a row), I came across the drawing below in Raymond Chevallier, Roman Roads (California, 1976: 90). The drawing originally appeared in J. Mertens (1955), and it depicts the wooden framework found at the Via Mansuerisca. It appears to be comparable to that found at the Vicus ad Martis.

Chevallier disccusses the use of wooden frames and stakes used in Belgium and along the Rhine. He speculates that such frameworks could have been used in marshy areas, to better anchor the road. The area of the Vicus, next to Santa Maria in Pantano (in the marshes) could certainly qualify as marshy – particularly after a period of heavy rain. While I’m not totally convinced that such a construction would have aided road stability in the marshes, the drawing Chevallier includes does give some idea of how the wooden frame found at the Vicus could have worked. Perhaps we will find further evidence for wooden framing along the Via Flaminia in 2011!

Gruppo Speleologico di Todi

2011-01-03T08:20:00.001-06:00

Readers and volunteers at the Vicus ad Martis excavations may not be aware that some of the Italians working with us are members of a local spelunking club that explores, among other things, the tunnels below Todi (Roman Tuder). The club is called the Gruppo Speleologico di Todi, and their website (here) explains (in Italian and English) what they do, and what sorts of things they have explored under Todi. The group has made a couple of videos of their explorations. While it is not always clear where they are, you get to see them point out chisel marks and pick up bits of broken coarsewares. Volunteers will also see a couple of familiar faces underground!

Ancient Angels will be out in March.

2010-12-30T17:08:00.003-06:00

Readers of this blog might be interested to know that my book -- Ancient Angels: Conceptualizing Angeloi in the Roman Empire, will be published in March 2011. You can pre-order the book through the publisher here, and the book will be available at Amazon in March. In addition, I'm starting a new blog to go with the book. I hope that the blog (here) will provide a forum for continuing discussion of some of the ideas in the book. In addition, I have a lot of pictures, documents, and ideas, that did not make it into the book -- mostly because they just did not fit with the focus of the book. So, I'd like to use the book blog to present some of the interesting items that I could not fit in the book. Be sure and check it out and be sure and comment about anything angel-related that you would like to see there.

Bill Thayer on Massa Martana and Umbria

2010-12-24T10:37:00.004-06:00

Massa Martana is the closest town to the excavation. It is where the volunteers usually stay, and where all involved spend a great deal of time. The town is not on the usual tourist itineraries, which leads some to wonder what the town it like. Well, for readers and potential volunteers who want more information about Massa Martana, its monuments, and the surrounding region, a great place for images and information is Bill Thayer's gazetteer (here). The site contains a wealth of information on Umbria and its churches (here). It also has information and images related to the Via Flaminia, a Roman roadway that is central to the research at the Vicus ad Martis.

We shall return! To Italy and the AIA Annual Meeting

2010-12-22T11:25:00.008-06:00

The Vicus ad Martis excavations and the field school will continue in 2011. The excavations will begin June 8, 2011 and continue for five weeks. That means that this season we will have one five-week session for all students, rather than two three-week sessions, as we had in the 2010 season. This means that students and professors will get five weeks in the dirt, the sun, and the beauty of central Italy.

By the way, readers who will be attending the AIA/APA in San Antonio should be sure to attend Director John Muccigrosso's presentation of the 2010 excavation (session 6B). Also, Muccigrosso will be presenting Tommaso Mattioli's (he of the red jeans and metal-less clothing) data from the geophysical survey at the AIA poster session (session 2I). Be sure to stop by and say 'ciao!' -- especially those volunteers who got to wear the special backpack. Standing by a poster is a task made much more fun when people come by to chat.

End of Session 3.1 Group Photo

2010-07-04T02:21:00.003-05:00

Here is the end of session one photo. John Muccigrosso, the excavation director, posted it previously. But, some of my readers may not have seen it, and it is such a great photo that I think it could be posted again. Yours truly is in the back row in the khaki vest. Great Sooner shirt in the front row!

Dinner and Dancing at Massa Martana

2010-07-04T02:07:00.004-05:00

The excavations at the Vicus ad Martis have enjoyed a very friendly relationship with the community of Massa Martana -- the small Umbrian hilltown where excavators have stayed during this and previous seasons. The town has a number of attractions, including a very nice piazza and the always hospitable Bar Centrale (which you can find on Facebook). The community of Massa Martana threw a very nice party for us this year, which included dancing and karaoke, and a very delicious meal -- prepared by a number of women from the town. I've included a few pictures from the celebration below.

Discoveries in the New Trenches

2010-06-29T10:52:00.004-05:00

The family and I are traveling in northern Italy. We left Florence last night (view of Arno R. below) and are now in Milan for a couple of days. The third week of excavation was somewhat hectic for me, and so I did not have time to comment on all of the interesting things happening in the new trenches. So, here are a few notes on the last week.

Last season, excavation at the Vicus took place in two trenches, separated by an eight-meter gap. This season, in the third week, we began excavating the areas between the two trenches, and expanded one of the trenches to the south. After clearing the areas of topsoil, we began to find the remains of ancient walls and floors. The interior surfaces of some walls still had red and white plaster preserved on them, and one of the floors associated with the walls was found.

In other areas, the tops of large stones were found just below topsoil, which appear to be oriented in the same manner as walls discovered in the last two seasons. Excavation in the next three weeks should shed light on these tantalizing discoveries.

End of the First Session

2010-06-27T10:47:00.004-05:00

The past week (Week Three) of this summer’s excavation at the Vicus ad Martis was my last for this year. The family and I are travelling on to Aix-en-Provence (where my wife will pursue her summer research). However, the past week saw a number of exciting events and developments at the Vicus, -- including excavation in new trenches (as pictured) -- and while I travel through northern Italy and Provence, I will be blogging about them. The students participating in only the first session have left for Rome and for home. Those who are staying on longer are visiting Florence and will be back for more digging on Monday. In addition, there are new students and volunteers who will be arriving in Massa Martana over the weekend. I wish good luck to diggers – old and new – in the next few weeks.

I mentioned in my last post that RAI 3, an Italian television station had done a piece on the excavations. My colleague and the fearless leader of the excavation, John Muccigrosso, was given a copy of the program and posted it on YouTube (link here). In addition to the excavation, the RAI 3 piece has footage of Santa Maria in Pantano (image below), which is next to the excavation and features a re-used inscribed block that names the site. There is also some footage of the Via Flaminia, which is preserved nearby, and which passed through the Vicus.

The Media, Weekend Visits, and a Rainy Carsulae

2010-06-21T23:42:00.004-05:00

The news media came to visit us at the Vicus last week. The local affiliate of RAI 3, an Italian television station, came to film and do interviews. I think that we looked pretty good for the cameras. I did my best to look intelligent while pointing at things on the ground for the students to examine. They did their best to look like they were working hard and carefully. One of the local Umbrian papers also did a story, and you can read that one here.

Over the weekend, the student volunteers made trips to Rome, and some ventured further, to Naples and Pompeii. My family and I visited Ravenna, which was amazing. The core of the city is closed to traffic, and the city is bicycle crazy. So, if you like bicycles, mosaics, and early Christian architecture (like me), Ravenna is a place that you must go. In the near future, I would like to go back for a longer visit.

We have big plans for excavating this week, with new areas cleared of top soil. Yesterday, however, we were rained out. So, we visited Carsulae, a site just south of us on the ancient Via Flaminia. Although the weather was foul during the visit -- see the director's description here -- we visited with Jane Whitehead, the current excavator of the site, and had a pleasant -- if rain soaked walk through Carsulae.

Interesting Finds

2010-06-17T23:45:00.006-05:00

This week the excavations at Vicus ad Martis have uncovered floors and the remains of plaster walls dating to the Roman period. Some of the floors have been very fragmentary, as was the case with the floor being revealed in the photo below, while other have been more substantial. A number of datable artifacts have also come to light this week, including coins of Maximinus Thrax and Philip the Arab, two third-century emperors. Both coins were found near each other in a clean stratigraphic context. A stamped dolium (photo below) was also found at the site, and we are working to find a comparison and date for the the stamp. Of course, the students continue to refine their excavating skills, including providing shade for delicate operations, as seen below.

Drainage Channel Removed

2010-06-13T23:37:00.004-05:00

The final days of last week, student volunteers and professorial supervisors articulated and then removed a modern drainage channel. The excavation of the channel provided an opportunity for students to use a range of archaeological tools, including big and small picks, trowels and brushes. The fill associated with the the modern drainage channel was removed on Friday morning, as seen in the photograph below. After removing the modern channel, we began excavating the fill to the south of the channel, which contained a mix of modern and ancient (2 coins!) material. Today, we plan to remove the remainder of the fill to the south of the channel.

Visiting Local Sites (and sights)

2010-06-09T23:39:00.004-05:00

Excavation continued on Wednesday, reaching levels just below a modern drainage channel. We hope to be able to remove the drainage channel today (Thursday). In addition to learning about archaeology through excavation, students who are participating in the excavation also have a chance to travel to local archaeological sites. Yesterday afternoon, the director of the excavations, John Muccigrosso, led students and professors to the Christian catacombs along the Via Flaminia, which feature the remains of an early Christian basilica above the entrance to the catacombs, the apse of which is visible in the photograph below.
We also visited the impressive Ponte Fonnaia, part of the Via Flaminia, a photograph of which you see below. Our afternoon trip took us to one additional Roman "ponte" along the Via Flaminia. This ponte was re-used as the foundation of the medieval church of San Giovanni de Butris. In the photograph below, you can see the top of the Roman arch being used to support the entrance to the church.

Digging Begins

2010-06-08T23:53:00.004-05:00

We are finally getting down to moving dirt here at the Vicus. We cleaned up the site on Monday, removing the loose, dead grass that had accumulated over the last year and sweeping up the loose dirt inside the trenches. Below one of the students moves dead grass in an idyllic Italian landscape. Yesterday we began excavation, with the opening of two new stratigraphic units. We went below topsoil to the top of stone feature, the characteristics of which will be clarified in the coming days.

While some of us were excavating, another team conducted geomagnetic resistivity surveys in the nearby fields. There will be more discussion of those surveys in the coming days. Followers of this blog should also check out http://drewinumbria.blogspot.com/, the blog kept by John Muccigrosso, the director of the excavation, who has been incorporating video into his blog.

Tracing the Via Flaminia

2010-06-05T01:25:00.004-05:00

Vicus ad Martis is mentioned on a number of ancient itineraries that describe routes along the Via Flaminia. One of our goals this summer is to better understand the relationship between the site and the Via Flaminia, part of which may have been uncovered at the site. To that end, John, Sarah, and I, along with our Italian colleagues Tomaso and Paulo, spent some time tracing the route of the Roman road in areas near the excavation. We found a number of paving stones that were part of the ancient Via Flaminia and examined several abandoned farmhouses and churches near the road, which contained re-used Roman material.

Preparing to excavate

2010-06-03T10:38:00.007-05:00

My colleagues (John Muccigrosso and Sarah Harvey) and I have arrived in Umbria and have moved into our apartment near Massa Martana, at the former convent of San Pietro sopra le acque. The apartment looks like it will be a great place for us to live while supervising the excavations at Massa Martana.

We are making our preliminary preparations for excavation this week and will start digging next week, after the student volunteers arrive. We plan to continue excavation in some areas that were examined last season and to open up new areas of excavation between the two major trenches.

Thanks to a rainy spring, the water table at Vicus ad Martis is relatively high, with the result that the lower depths of the excavation are partly underwater.

Hopefully, drier weather will lower the water table in the near future.

We have set up the GIS system and established a number of fixed data points, including the point from which we plan to survey the site with the Total Station. More preparations will continue tomorrow!

Archaeological accommodations

2010-05-24T14:36:00.006-05:00

This year the accommodations for directors the excavations at Vicus ad Martis promise to be very nice. They are being provided by a local business owner (info on his company here). You can see a description of the accommodations here, but basically we will be staying in a renovated convent in the Umbrian countryside. The convent is now a spa-resort complete with pool and all sorts of other things intended to help one relax. Will we get a chance to take advantage of all of these luxuries? I hope so! However, odds are we will all be very busy. Still, even if I am unable to take advantage of the various massages and spa treatments on offer, the rooms look to be some of the nicest that I have ever stayed in while excavating, and that got me thinking about other rooms I've lived in while doing fieldwork. I've always associated archaeological accommodations with rouging it, at least somewhat. Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of fond memories of Rooms Marinos in Corinth, especially the way the rooster would wake me up in the morning. The American School accommodations at Corinth are also very nice, but without the roosters. The apartments at the Kibbutz Megiddo were very modern and even had -- dun, dun, dun -- air conditioning. Still, the digs for this summer look luxurious compared to my previous experience. I hope that my mind can wrap itself around such nice accommodations and fieldwork, but I have a feeling I will deal with it somehow.

Fasti: Santa Maria in Pantano

2010-05-21T08:52:00.004-05:00

Here is a link to the Vicus ad Martis entry in the Fasti database, which collects brief archaeological reports from parts of the Roman Empire. The Fasti entry contains a summary of the findings from the last two seasons at Vicus ad Martis, which should be of interest to the followers of this blog.

Gearing Up: Boots

2010-05-13T08:37:00.002-05:00

Excavators at Vicus ad Martis will be required to wear steel-toe work boots, in compliance with Italian law. I think steel-toes are a good idea, in part because the thought of taking a student to the hospital with a smashed toe is not a pleasant one. However, this has gotten me thinking about the varieties of footwear worn by diggers in different parts of the Mediterranean. Steel-toe boots are by no means standard in other regions. For example, when I was working at Megiddo in Israel, we were required to wear boots, but they did not have to be steel-toed. As it was explained to me, the boots were a good idea in case scorpions attacked your ankles. I don’t recall any scorpion attacks in the trenches, but perhaps that is because my boots deterred them. In Greece, hiking boots or sneakers are more common (in my experience). And, I have even witnessed archaeologists in Greece working in (gasp) sandals. (Toe injuries be damned! My dogs have to breath!). In fairness to sandal-wearing archaeologists, I am a big fan of wearing sandals in some parts of the Med., provided that you are not walking through a field covered in goat-head burrs, or lifting large rocks. However, this season I am gearing up with steel-toe boots. I purchased a new pair recently and have been wearing them on campus to break them in. I decided upon the Tiberland “Pit-Boss” [picture above] which is not only steel-toed but (so the box states) can protect the wearer from electrical hazards as well. In addition, and from the perspective of fashion, this style of boot simultaneously evokes Norm from “This Old House” and nineties hip-hop, a la “This is How We Do It.” What other work boot can do that?

Preparations Underway

2010-05-10T09:24:00.000-05:00

Preparations for the third season of excavation at Vicus ad Martis Tudertium are underway. The site lies on the western branch of the ancient Via Flaminia, and it appears on a number of ancient and modern itineraries. The past two seasons of excavation have identified some of the parameters of the site, identified a major road going through the site, and brought to light the remains of some of the buildings of the Vicus. Last season a human burial -- a cappuccina -- was also discovered. Prof. John Muccigrosso of Drew University, Prof. Sarah Harvey of Kent State, and their Italian colleagues have directed the excavations in past seasons. This season I, along with two undergraduate students from the University of Oklahoma, will also be assisting in the excavation.

The dig, which is run as a field school, promises to be great experience for the OU students, as well as their professor (i.e. me). This season the excavation will attempt to determine the ultimate borders of the site, the chronological limits of the site, and determine the relationship of some of the major buildings of the site and the Via Flaminia.