A&S faculty lead the way in archaeology, anthropology, classical studies
Archaeologists at William & Mary have been nationally recognized in their field for excellence in service and teaching.
Audrey Horning ’89, Forrest D. Murden Professor of Anthropology, became president-elect of the Society for Historical Archaeology in January 2024, and will hold that position for two years before assuming the role of president for a further two-year term.
Najee Olya, Assistant Professor of Classical Studies, was elected to the Managing Committee for the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.
And Jess Paga, Associate Professor of Classical Studies, received the Award for Excellence in Teaching at the College Level given annually by the Society for Classical Studies.
Their achievements represent the strength of W&M faculty across archaeological studies’ chronological and geographic spectrum, with their specialties ranging from ancient Greece to the early modern Atlantic world.
“Archaeology rarely has a singular home department,” Paga said. “In some ways, this is great because it speaks to the multidisciplinary nature of the field.”
Paga and Olya’s focus on ancient Greece means that they are located in the Classical Studies department (“Archaeology in Classical Studies usually tends to stop in late antiquity,” explained Paga). Horning, on the other hand, focuses on the comparative archaeology of colonialism in Ireland and North America and chairs the Anthropology department at W&M.
William & Mary’s faculty have long been at the forefront of advances in archaeological studies. Horning cites Michael Blakey, the National Endowment for the Humanities Professor of Anthropology, as making a pivotal change in the way that historical archaeologists such as herself conduct research. Blakey paved the way for a new research model that gives primary consideration to the descendants of the subjects under study – the descendant community.
“The traditional approach to archaeology was that the researcher, the expert, goes into a place, extracts the data, and maybe returns and gives something back in the form of a publication or a museum exhibit. But it was really all about the researcher,” Horning said.
The field is moving away from that researcher-centric model towards one that emphasizes the objectives of the descendant community. Horning works collaboratively with the communities she studies, making sure she focuses on the “mutual respect and recognition” between researcher and community that can only be achieved through active listening and communication.
As president-elect of the Society for Historical Archaeology (SHA), Horning will continue to deal with ethical questions for the entire field of historical archaeology. The SHA is the largest scholarly organization dedicated to the archaeology of the modern world, defined as the period from 1400 to the present.
“I think fundamentally that organizations like SHA can and should do more than just have a nice conference and publish a journal,” Horning said. “SHA has always been involved in forms of advocacy, whether it's advocacy for descendant communities or going to Capitol Hill and trying to influence legislators in terms of the passage of things like preservation law and, again, the rights of communities.”
In the field of classical archaeology, Olya will also be dealing with field-wide issues of ethics, access and advocacy as a newly elected member of the Managing Committee for the American School at Athens.
The American School, founded in 1881, provides graduate students and scholars a headquarters for research and study in Greece. “It is a community, a base for scholars interested in Greece in a variety of periods, not just archaeologically but also with things like history and literature and culture,” Olya said.
It is run by a board of trustees as well as the Managing Committee, to which he was elected in January. Each affiliated institution with the American School has at least one representative on the managing committee. William & Mary has three, Bill Hutton, Professor of Classical Studies, Paga and Olya – a rarity, and marker of W&M’s reputation in the field, since it is one of the few affiliated institutions that does not offer a doctorate in Classical Studies.
“The American School is one of the most impactful institutions not only for archaeology but for the entire field of Classical Studies,” Hutton said. “The Managing Committee and its subcommittees oversee the operation and the budget of the School, approve the hiring of the highest administrative and academic staff, and deliberate on major new initiatives.”
One of the recent issues that arose in front of the Managing Committee was one of ethical access for researchers: should advanced undergraduate students be allowed to access the American
School Library, and should there be a fee? “We are working on how to increase inclusivity because of the financial barriers that are involved in doing archaeological research,” Olya said.
Both Horning and Olya have been involved with the organizations they now serve since their time as graduate students. Horning attended SHA conferences; Olya attended an American School summer session and participated in a year-long program that took students on trips to archaeological sites across Greece.
As he gets settled into his new role, Olya would like to become involved in additional sub-committees, including one that works on the student summer sessions and one that focuses on issues surrounding DEI.
Olya would also like to make more people aware of the diversity of classical studies and archaeology, noting that these are expansive fields that stretch broadly across ancient places, people, and cultures.
“Just looking at the ancient Mediterranean, this is a world that includes not only Europe, but also Africa and Asia,” said Olya. “There's all sorts of movement and interaction between these places and the different people.”
Humanizing the ancient world is also at the heart of his colleague Jess Paga’s teaching philosophy.
Receiving the teaching award from the Society for Classical Studies (SCS), one of the preeminent societies for classical studies in the world, was “a big surprise” for Paga: “It was absolutely humbling.”
In her classes, Paga tries to show her students different ways of analyzing the world around them.
“Students grow up learning how to analyze a text. They understand how that works. But how do you analyze images?” Paga said. “We spend all day scrolling on our phones, looking at pictures, looking at memes. Thinking about visual analysis, visual memory and visual recall can help us understand what we’re seeing. These are all skills that archaeology and art history can help students with.”
To help students gain these visual analytical skills, Paga employs new technologies in her classes, such as virtual reality tours of ancient Greek and Roman sites. Working from a curated folder of Google Maps images and using the Studio for Teaching & Learning Innovation’s
Oculus virtual reality headsets, students can take a virtual tour of sites like the Athenian Acropolis and, according to Paga, “get a glimpse of the ancient Mediterranean.”
Matthew Schueller, Visiting Assistant Teaching Professor in Classical Studies, has also incorporated virtual reality into his instruction and seen its benefits for students.
“Virtual reality is a way to get students thinking about the lived experiences of ancient built spaces like Greek sanctuaries and Roman amphitheaters,” Schueller said.
Paga agrees: “It's a way of getting students to understand size and scale and the way the landscape actually looks.”
In the nomination for the award, Paga’s students described her as “dedicated” and “beloved by the students at William & Mary” for her enthusiasm for Classical Studies and her encouragement in the classroom. “The most important thing Professor Paga does is allow us to be true scholars,” one student explained.
While her students laud her teaching skills, Paga celebrates her students. “Teaching William & Mary students makes me want to be a better teacher,” she said. “Every single aspect of teaching these students far exceeds expectations.”
Through their dedication to leadership, inclusivity and access for students, Paga, Olya and Horning are all paving the way for the next generation of classical and historical archaeologists.
