A major focus of current research is the development of the Greek and Roman city. The excavations at Gabii near Rome, directed by Kelsey research associate and professor of Classical studies Nicola Terrenato, are shedding new light on the early history of Rome itself. A new project begun in 2014 by Lisa Nevett, also a Kelsey research associate and professor in the Department of Classical Studies, focuses on domestic architecture and the evidence for daily life in the short-lived town of Olynthos in northern Greece. An archaeological survey of the port city of Notion in Turkey, begun in 2014 under the direction of Christopher Ratté, is studying the history of urbanism in western Asia Minor following the conquests of Alexander the Great.
In addition to these projects at Classical sites, Kelsey research associate and professor of Near Eastern studies Janet Richards is directing a large-scale investigation of a late third- and early second-millennium BC mortuary landscape at Abydos in southern Egypt, while Kelsey research scientist Geoff Emberling is investigating processes of urbanization and state formation in early first-millennium BC Nubia.
The Kelsey is thus supporting a broad array of archaeological field projects, including both excavations and surveys, and exploring a wide variety of different theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of ancient societies. This pluralistic vision has helped to make the University of Michigan a national center for teaching and research in Classical, Egyptian, and Near Eastern archaeology.
Three of the Kelsey's ongoing archaeological projects — Olynthos, Gabii, and Notion — have recently been featured in the special exhibition "Urban Biographies, Ancient and Modern." The exhibition is now closed, but the online version preserves all the features of the physical show.
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An asterisk (*) in the list at left denotes a site that is not currently being excavated, but is still producing research and publications.
