JENS KOEHLER
The volume âSixty-six toilets and urinals in the ancient city of Rome, BABesch supplement 48, 2024,â was officially presented on October 16, 2024, at the Royal Dutch Institute (KNIR) in Rome, a great collection of papers on ancient Roman latrines. Professor Jens Koehler contributed the chapter âForum Julium, multi-seater toilet of Trajanic period.â Professor Koehler has also been invited to join the directorial board of the Frontinus Society -Ìę the International Society for the History of Water, Energy and Piping Technology.
VALERIE HIGGINS
Professor Valerie Higgins was invited to write the Preface for âContested Heritage in Europe and Africaâ published by Routledge. This volume of collected essays explores the legacy of colonialism in Africa today. She was also the Guest Editor for the publication âThe Climate-Culture Story: Community-led Integrated Strategies for Heritage Safeguard, Climate action, Disaster Risk Reduction and Peacebuilding,â a research project run by ICCROM, which collects the responses of indigenous communities to combat climate change.
JIM HOLDEN
Professor Jim Holden presented a lecture at the Museo Della Repubblica Romana in November, entitled: âPoetry, Football and Biscuits â the curious story of Garibaldi and the English.â FYI; Nottingham Forest football club play in Garibaldi red shirts. Their modern-day supportersâ club is called Forza Garibaldi.
FABIO BARILARI
Professor Fabio Barilari has illustrated the book by Jason Goodman, "Thereâs a Ghost In My Room;â the moving, humorous and gentle tale of an unusual friendship to help us understand the mystery of life. The book is available in English and Italian translation via Amazon & good book shops.
LEONARDO DE CHIRICO
Professor Leonardo de Chirico has published "Engaging with Thomas Aquinas. An Evangelical Approach" (London: Inter-Varsity Press, 2024). Engaging with Thomas Aquinas is a thoughtful introduction aimed at presenting the main contours of the doctorâs complex legacy and critically evaluating it, especially in areas where the âRoman Catholicâ Thomas eclipses the âclassicalâ theology which is attracting renewed attention in evangelical circles.
TIMOTHY JOSEPH ALLEN
Professor Timoth Allen has been working in collaboration with Dr. Beatrice De Ruggieri and Dr. Marco Cardinali on a project investigating Caravaggioâs âJudith and Holofernesâ at the Palazzo Barberini. The project asks the fundamental question: to what extent can a technical analysis inform a convincing painting process and how close would the result come to the original when analyzed?
The team was granted the extraordinary privilege to spend three days working in front of the painting in the museum. During that time, two copies were executed. The first copy was painted in one day, the second was executed over a two day period allowing for an exploration of unifying the lights and shadows with halftones made from glazing.
The final step in our project was a technical analysis of the copies, then a comparison between those results and the analyses of the actual painting.
Read the full report of this project here.
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Jens Koehler
Jim Holden
Timothy Joseph Allen
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KRISTEN PALANA
AUR welcome back Professor Kristen Palana after eight years living and working in Myanmar and Malawi. In Malawi, Kristen led Digital Media, Communication, and Leadership training for the Australian High Commission, United Nations Population Fund, the British High Commission, and the Public Relations Society of Malawi.
Currently she is partnered with Mastrius, a North American platform for artists as a mentor and educator specifically helping artists through online live monthly meetups with their art business, marketing, social media, websites, and more.
LUCIANA D'ARCANGELI
On the 18th of October, Professor Luciana DâArcangeli was in conversation with Dr Francesca Calamita (University of Virginia) on her book "Visibili e influenti. Le donne italiane ci sono" (Biblion Edizioni, 2024) and on gender at the Casa Internazionale delle Donne in Rome.
FERRUCIO TRABALZI
Professor Ferrucio Trabalzi is working on two research and teaching projects: Museums in Non-Institutional Spaces â investigating the potential for decolonial cultural production beyond established institutions, and Informal Settlements - exploring Rome without architects, with a focus on the resilience and ingenuity of marginalized communities.
ANDREA BINI
Professor Andrea Bini recently published the book âJaws. Lo Squalo: La forma della paura,â in which he argiues that, while the film launched the career of Steven Spielberg, the enormous popularity of the film has paradoxically obscured its true qualities: for decades the most important critics have remained - literally - on the surface, unable to grasp the most complex and profound aspects. Bini demonstrates that Jaws is much more than a âkilling-machine to produce fearâ (as it has been defined with a certain contempt) but a very refined auteur film, worthy of being put next to the great works of the so-called âNew Hollywoodâ of the Sixties-Seventies, both for its innovative style and for the way in which it mercilessly denounced the evils of contemporary American society.
MEI CHEN TSENG
Professor Mei Chen Tseng delivered a printing workshop at the Societa Geografica Italiana this semester. The workshop demonstrated Tsengâs unique approach to Endgrain Woodblock Printing. End grain woodcut allows the artist to create complex and defined designs, thanks to the greater hardness of the support.
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Fabio Barilari
Kristen Palana
Andrea Bini
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CATHY RAMSEY-PORTOLANO
Professor Cathy Ramsey-Portolano recently published the article âMasking Female Illness in Tigre reale: Tuberculosis from Print to Screenâ in the edited volume "Disguising Disease in Italian Political and Visual Culture".
ELIZABETH WUESTE
Professor Elizabeth Wueste presented the Aventinus Minor Project results at The European Archaeological Association Annual Meeting in Rome (Aug. 2024) alongside Prof. Giulia Facchin and Prof. Piermatteo Barone. In January 2025, Elizabeth will present at The Archaeological Institute of America Annual Meeting in Philadelphia âThe 2023 and 2024 Excavation Seasons of the Aventinus Minor Project: a community archaeology project in Romeâ in a session titled âThe City of Rome.â
LUCA RATTI
Professor Luca Ratti spent this semester as a NATO-Schuman Fulbright Fellow at the University of Mary Washington, working on European security and transatlantic relations. He also organized a major international conference on Italy in the Transatlantic Community at 75 at the University of Roma Tre with the participation of other AUR Professors.
KRISTIEN DE NEVE
In collaboration with the International Institute for Psychoanalytic Research and Training of Health Professionals (IIPRTHP), Professor Kristien de Neve organized a âDreaming Rome Workshopâ - an immersive two-part event inviting students to explore the intersection of film, dreams, and psychological insight which would offer a fresh perspective on Rome and the human subconscious.