IFA Archaeology Journal

Welcome to the ninth edition of the Institute’s Archaeology Journal. This year’s publication celebrates the return of a robust excavation season following two years of restrictions due to the pandemic. This year’s field season was full of exciting and illuminating projects. In Abydos, site director Matthew Adams and his team continued to carry out new research on the world’s oldest known industrial-scale brewery. In Aphrodisias, through excavations led by R. R. R. Smith, a full team of students and colleagues worked on major projects and recovered several important new statuary finds. In Samothrace, under the direction of Bonna Wescoat, the full American Excavations Samothrace team conducted a new and intensive field survey between the city wall and the sanctuary. Although they were unable to conduct an in-person field season in Sanam, Kathryn Howley and students hope to return when conditions in Sudan allow, with intentions to return to their recently discovered first-millennium BCE monumental mud brick building. Finally, in Selinunte, Clemente Marconi and his team investigated several areas of the acropolis, making striking discoveries about this part of the ancient city in the Archaic and Classical periods.

On October 1, 2022, we learned of the passing of David O’Connor, Director Emeritus of Abydos Archaeology and Lila Acheson Wallace Professor Emeritus of Ancient Egyptian Art. David’s death is a great loss to the community of archaeologists and scholars of Nubian and Egyptian antiquity, and to his many colleagues, students, and friends. We extend our deepest condolences to his wife, Gülbün O’Connor, his daughters Aisha and Katie, and his numerous grandchildren.

We also suffered the loss of Luca Restelli, a valuable member of the Selinunte field project. We wish to express our sincere condolences to his family, friends, and colleagues. It is thanks to our extraordinarily committed faculty, students, close collaborators, and generous donors that each year we are able to report on continued successes in our archaeological program. We hope you will enjoy reading about this year’s thrilling discoveries out in the field!

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

Download a PDF of the 2022 Archaeology Journal or read below. Previous Journals can be found in the archive.