mfarrior

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Dr. Mary-Evelyn Farrior Portrait
mfarrior@arizona.edu
Office Hours
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Farrior, Mary-Evelyn
Assistant Professor

Dr. Mary-Evelyn Farrior is an archaeologist and historian interested in understanding the lived experience of marginalized communities in the Roman empire. She is currently the Excavation Supervisor for the Pompeii I.14 Project. Her current book project explores the relationship between Greek language – and the communities that used it – and imperial power in ancient Rome. Prior to coming to Arizona, Mary-Evelyn served as a Lecturer in Classics at Princeton University. She was a Rome Prize Fellow in Ancient Studies at the American Academy in Rome (2024) and held the Stavros Niarchos Fellowship in Classical Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She holds a B.A. in Classics from Brown University, an M.A. in Classical Studies from Tulane University, and a Ph.D. in Classical Studies from Columbia University. Mary-Evelyn has excavated widely, including at sites such as Sant’Omobono, Morgantina, and Hadrian’s Villa in Italy, as well as Pañamarca in Peru.

Research Interests

  • Roman Archaeology 
  • Roman Social History
  • Digital Humanities
  • Epigraphy 
  • Identity and Ethnicity
  • Urban Life 

Publications:

Under Review “The Original Does Not Look Like This: Plaster Casts and the Early Collection Practices of Classical Antiquities at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston,” to be submitted to The Journal of the History of Collections, Special Issue

2026   “On the Margins: Greek Epigraphic Culture in the Landscape of Imperial Rome” in (Re)uniting City and Country, conference proceedings organized by ERC Project The Inscribed City: Urban Structures and Interaction in imperial Rome

2026    “Excavations at Pompeii, Region I.14, Season Two (2023)” (co-authored with A. Emmerson, A. Badillo, J. Rogers) in Rivista di Studi Pompeiani 35

2024    “Excavating a matmaker’s workshop at Pompeii I 14, 1/11–14” (co-authored with A. Emmerson, G. Higgs, J. Rogers, M. Robinson) in E-Journal degli Scavi di Pompei 24-8:1-15. 

2023   “Excavations at Pompeii, Region I.14, Season One (2022)” (co-authored with A. Emmerson, A. Badillo, J. Rogers) in Rivista di Studi Pompeiani 34: 207–212

Currently Teaching

CLAS 160B1 – Meet the Ancients: Gateway to Greece and Rome

Journey into the past to discover the worlds of the ancient Greeks and Romans. From democracy and republicanism to literature, philosophy and art, the contributions of these two cultures serve as the foundation for much of what has been described as ""western"" culture. This course explores who these peoples were, how these civilizations developed, what ideas and institutions they created, and why the Greeks and Romans matter today.

Through this exploration into the Greco-Roman world, this course builds connections between the multiple types of evidence that scholars draw upon to paint a picture of the ancient past. Close readings of texts provide a humanistic perspective on classical culture; archaeological data inform us about social scientific trends in demography and economics; environmental evidence from ice cores, botanical remains, and soil samples enable a natural science perspective on the past; and some of the world's most famous objects--from the Venus di Milo to Grecian vases--allow for artistic insights. In this course, students will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each disciplinary approach to understanding the past, and ultimately weave together multiple strands of evidence to create their signature assignment.

Upon completing "Meet the Ancients", students will not only have a better understanding of Greco-Roman history and culture, they will, above all, have a deeper understanding of the different perspectives used to approach ancient history and the skills to evaluate and synthesize diverse types of evidence.

CLAS 160D2 – Classical Mythology: Ancient Stories and What they Tell Us

The myths, legends, and folktales of the Greeks, Romans and the peoples of the ancient Near East have remained popular for thousands of years. Together we'll not only learn about these stories themselves, but also think about why these stories are so popular, where they came from, and what insights they give us into the various people and cultures who created and reinterpreted them across the millennia.