IFA Archaeology Journal

Welcome to this year’s edition of the Institute’s Archaeology Journal. I am pleased to report that there continue to be important discoveries at each of the Institute of Fine Arts’ archaeological sites despite the many restrictions on travel and research owing to the pandemic.

Among the great highlights of the season was the completed excavation of the mosaics in the Civil Basilica and conservation work carried out on marble sarcophagi in Aphrodisias; the remarkable exploration and documentation of the world’s oldest industrial scale brewery in Abydos; the cleaning and research the team in Samothrace conducted on the blocks of the Nike monument; and the finding of a stratigraphic column and the upper arm of a marble kouros in Selinunte. Although ongoing unrest in Sudan prevented a field season in Sanam, our determined team took the opportunity to plan for various remote sensing surveys and to develop future resources. 

Archaeology is vital to the Institute’s history, programming, and mission. It plays a crucial role in expanding the horizons of our students and it is a great pleasure to see our archaeological program grow each year. A very warm thanks to our extraordinarily committed faculty, students, close collaborators, and generous donors who make this all possible. 

We hope you enjoy reading about this year’s discoveries and successes, and we look forward to what’s to come!

Christine Poggi
Judy and Michael Steinhardt Director
The Institute of Fine Arts