Mentor Areas
My research focuses on the art and architecture of the Greek and Roman periods. I seek to understand the ways in which cultural interaction between Greeks and Romans informed their artistic production, as well as how it shaped their built environment. I combine perspectives from classical archaeology, history and theory of architecture, and actual architectural practice to address both cultural conceptualizations and a more formal analysis of classical art and architecture. As an architect with training in digital reconstructions, I employ computer-based tools for the visualization and analysis of architectural and archaeological data and as a classical and underwater archaeologist, I conduct fieldwork projects in order to advance the research objectives of my projects.
I systematically foster conversations across the distinct fields of architecture and classical archaeology in a variety of ways so as to illuminate long-standing blind spots in the field: by identifying when anachronistic definitions of terms that postdate the urban landscapes we are studying prevent scholars from seeing and understanding them properly; by employing contemporary understandings of urbanism in order to propose a theoretical framework for the study of the classical urban environment; by fostering conversations about urbanism across the ancient / modern divide; and by organizing research networks and conferences in order to promote intellectual exchange between architects and archaeologists.
Description:
New excavations in Turkey have rekindled interest in Hermogenes, the Hellenistic architect who Vitruvius credits for a number of temple innovations. The recent excavations of Teos (near Izmir, Turkey) have provided new evidence about Hermogenes' temple of Dionysos at this location. The other temples discussed in the context of Hermogenes’ work (i.e., the temples of Artemis and Zeus Sosipolis at Magnesia, Apollo Smintheus at Alexandria Troas, Apollo Isotimos at Alabanda and Hekate at Lagina) are not fully excavated and precisely dated. Only the temple of Dionysos at Teos has been subject to intensive archaeological excavation and documentation. It has been generally assumed that the temple was designed by Hermogenes according to the design principles indicated by Vitruvius, but the study of the monument provides a more complex picture.
In order to better understand the architecture of the temple of Dionysos at Teos, we are preparing drawings of its architectural members in a virtual environment as well as a 3D reconstruction. The architectural members of the temple have been already documented in high resolution 3D scans and the student(s) will produce final drawings in Autocad in order to use them in the 3D reconstruction of the temple. The detailed documentation of the temple's architecture will enable us to shed light on the design and construction phases of the temple as well as Hermogenes - this infamous yet obscure figure of Greco-Roman temple building.
Preferred Qualifications
- Coursework: ARTH 106, ARTH 228 and/or ARTH 229 (desired)
- Drawings of ancient architectural members by using the following programs: Autocad, Rhino, Photoshop, and/or Illustrator
Project Website
Learn more about the researcher and/or the project here. Research Projects
Details:
Preferred Student Year
First-year, Second-Year, Junior, Senior
Academic Term
Fall, Spring, Summer
I prefer to have students start during the above term(s).Volunteer
Yes
Yes indicates that faculty are open to volunteers.Paid
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to paying students they engage in their research, regardless of their work-study eligibility.Work Study
No
Yes indicates that faculty are open to hiring work-study-eligible students.