After 15 years of discovery, Dr. Gregory Warden, a classical archaeologist and university distinguished professor of art history, has helped develop a two-part exhibit at the Meadows Museum. As part of the opening, Warden will be giving a lecture on Feb. 5, discussing the exhibit “New Light on the Etruscans: Fifteen Years of Excavation at Poggio Colla.”
According to archeological evidence, the Etruscan civilization probably occupied the Mugello Valley, an area in northern Tuscany, from around 650 B.C. until 187 B.C. Warden’s vision for the excavation stemmed from growing up in the Mugello Valley. Since 1995, the site has provided him with new views on the Etruscans.
The exhibit focuses on reconstructing the daily life of the Etruscans. According to Warden, the Poggio Colla site is different from others found. It is host to an entire settlement, with remnants resembling a sanctuary and several everyday artifacts. The artifacts at the excavation help prove that the Etruscans were the most religious of ancient people.
Warden said his lecture will focus on the excavation, which has shed new light on the Etruscans.
“People are finding new evidence that we never expected,” Warden said. “It is changing the way we view things and providing evidence of their rituals.”
Warden and his codirector Dr. Michael Thomas, archaeologist and senior research associate at The University of Texas at Austin, spend six weeks every summer with their team of students, archeologists and architects at the Mugello Valley Archaeological Project.
The students consist of graduates and undergraduates from multiple institutions, including SMU, Dartmouth and Princeton. In addition to excavating, the students research and learn the multi-disciplinary study.
“Students enter into archeological discovery of the ancient world,” Warden said.
One of the SMU students on the trip, senior art history major Jayme Clemente, found a Campania coin, from the third century, that is now on display at the museum. Clemente enjoyed the hands-on experience.
“Students should take advantage of this opportunity to see a culture so distant from our modern day world,” Clemente said. “I encourage all who have not been over to the Meadows Museum to take the chance to see an ancient culture come to life in our backyard.”
Warden’s lecture, “New Evidence for Etruscan Ritual: The Excavations at the Sanctuary of Poggio Colla,” is free on Feb. 5 at 6 p.m. in the Bob Smith Auditorium at the Meadows Museum. The two exhibits featuring the materials from Poggio Colla will be open now until May 17.
