Rebecca A. Salem joins the Department of Classics in 2025 as a Marilyn Yarbrough Dissertation/Teaching Fellow. She is a Ph.D. candidate in art history and archaeology at the Institute of Fine Arts at New York University. Her dissertation considers ancient Greek architecture from a diachronic perspective considering religious architecture as process rather than product. She is the project architect of the American-Italian Archaeological Mission at Selinunte in Sicily and she is a senior team member of American Excavations Samothrace where she specializes in 3D modeling (photogrammetry and scanning) and sculpture.
 
Prior to Kenyon, Rebecca received the Anna C. & Oliver C. Colburn Fellowship from the Archaeological Institute of America and the Gorham Phillips Stevens Fellowship in the History of Architecture and the Martin Ostwald Fellowship at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.

Areas of Expertise

Ancient Greek art and architecture, 3D modeling, Mediterranean archaeology, cultural heritage

Education

2023 — Master of Philosophy from New York University

2018 — Master of Arts from University of Nebraska-Lincoln

2012 — Master of Arts from University College London

Courses Recently Taught

The ancient city-state of Athens is renowned for its achievements in architecture, art, politics, literature, philosophy and drama. In this course, we study the development of Athens from the Bronze Age to the Roman period in order to understand the context of these accomplishments. Our examination of Athenian topography and monuments includes the geography of the city and its natural resources; the architectural plan of the city as it develops over time; and the functions of different areas of the city, such as sanctuaries, cemeteries and private dwellings. This study of the archaeological record, along with ancient texts, reveals many aspects of Athenian society, including religion, economy, government and social stratification. This counts toward the classical civilization for the major. No prerequisite. Offered occasionally.