Tyler Jo Smith
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Tyler Jo Smith (born April 4, 1967) is an
archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
,
academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
, and
author In legal discourse, an author is the creator of an original work that has been published, whether that work exists in written, graphic, visual, or recorded form. The act of creating such a work is referred to as authorship. Therefore, a sculpt ...
. She is a
professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...
of classical art and
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
in the Department of Art as well as the director of the Interdisciplinary Archaeology Program at the
University of Virginia The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States. It was founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson and contains his The Lawn, Academical Village, a World H ...
. Smith is most known for her contributions to classical archaeology and the archaeology of the
Eastern Mediterranean The Eastern Mediterranean is a loosely delimited region comprising the easternmost portion of the Mediterranean Sea, and well as the adjoining land—often defined as the countries around the Levantine Sea. It includes the southern half of Turkey ...
, particularly in the realms of ancient Greek
pottery Pottery is the process and the products of forming vessels and other objects with clay and other raw materials, which are fired at high temperatures to give them a hard and durable form. The place where such wares are made by a ''potter'' is al ...
and material culture. Her work extends to landscape and survey archaeology, as well as the history of
alcohol Alcohol may refer to: Common uses * Alcohol (chemistry), a class of compounds * Ethanol, one of several alcohols, commonly known as alcohol in everyday life ** Alcohol (drug), intoxicant found in alcoholic beverages ** Alcoholic beverage, an alco ...
. She is one of the founders of Kerameikos.org, an initiative focused on Athenian pottery and supported by funding from the NEH, utilizing linked open data. Furthermore, she is the recipient of the Development Award from the Classical Association of the Middle West and South, as well as of multiple teaching awards. Among her authored works are her publications in academic journals, including ''
American Journal of Archaeology The ''American Journal of Archaeology'' (AJA), the peer-reviewed journal of the Archaeological Institute of America, has been published since 1897 (continuing the ''American Journal of Archaeology and of the History of the Fine Arts'' founded by t ...
'' as well as books such as ''Komast Dancers in Archaic Greek Art'' and ''Religion in the Art of Archaic and Classical Greece''. Smith is an elected
fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...
of the
Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...
as well as a senior associate fellow of
Institute of Classical Studies The Institute of Classical Studies is a research institution associated with the University of London and a member of the School of Advanced Study. The institute is a national and international research institute in the languages, literature, hi ...
. In 2015, she served as a visiting research fellow at the Trendall Centre at
La Trobe University La Trobe University is a public university, public research university based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia. Its main campus is located in the suburb of Bundoora, Victoria, Bundoora. The university was established in 1 ...
in
Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...
. Moreover, in 2017, she was a visiting scholar at L'École des hautes études en sciences sociales in
Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.


Education

Smith earned her A.B. degree in Classical Languages and Literature from
Davidson College Davidson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Davidson, North Carolina, United States. It was established in 1837 by the Concord Presbytery and named after American Revolutiona ...
in 1989, and subsequently pursued an M.Phil in Classical Archaeology at
Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...
, completing it in 1992. She later achieved a D.Phil. in Classical Archaeology from the same institution in 1997.


Career

Smith began her academic career in 1993 at
Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...
in 1997. In 2013, she lectured on ancient Mediterranean Art and Archaeology during a summer voyage of the Semester at Sea. From 2018 to 2019, she held the Elizabeth A. Whitehead Professorship at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens. Moreover, she holds the position of professor of classical art and archaeology in the Department of Art at the University of Virginia, and is affiliated faculty in the Department of Classics. Smith served on the board of directors of the American Research Institute in Turkey. Additionally, she has been a member of the scientific committee for the annual World Congress on Dance Research (
UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...
) in
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
since 2019. In 2021, she joined the development committee of the
British School at Athens The British School at Athens (BSA; ) is an institute for advanced research, one of the eight British International Research Institutes supported by the British Academy, that promotes the study of Greece in all its aspects. Under UK law it is a reg ...
, and in 2022, she became a member of the
Anthony Fauci Anthony Stephen Fauci ( ; born December 24, 1940) is an American physician-scientist and immunologist who served as the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) from 1984 to 2022, and the chief medical ...
Award in STEM and Classics Subcommittee. Moreoever, since 2011, she has held the position of
director Director may refer to: Literature * ''Director'' (magazine), a British magazine * ''The Director'' (novel), a 1971 novel by Henry Denker * ''The Director'' (play), a 2000 play by Nancy Hasty Music * Director (band), an Irish rock band * ''D ...
of UVA's Interdisciplinary Archaeology Program. Smith was a finds specialist at Kato Phano and Knossos, and a pottery and sculpture specialist at the Hacımusalar Höyük Excavations and at
Morgantina Morgantina () is an archaeological site in east central Sicily, southern Italy. It is sixty kilometres from the coast of the Ionian Sea, in the province of Enna. The closest modern town is Aidone, two kilometres southwest of the site. The s ...
. She has served as the lab director for the Caesarea Coastal Archaeological Project since 2022 and as the director of its academic programs.


Works

In 2010, Smith authored the book ''Komast Dancers in Archaic Greek Art''. The book provided an analysis of the significance and regional variations of komast figures in ancient Greek art, particularly on black-figure vases, highlighting their association with the worship of Dionysos, the origins of Greek drama, and their role in spreading human figural representation during the sixth century BC. John H. Oakley, in his review of the book said "Smith's monograph is an excellent and thorough study of a popular motif used in archaic Greek art throughout most of the Greek world, and every university library and scholar of Greek vase painting should own a copy of this book. Studies like this take years to complete and are the building blocks for advancing our understanding of Greek art. We need more like this one." Her more recent book ''Religion in the Art of Archaic and Classical Greece'' explores the relationship between art and religion in ancient Greek society, focusing on how small-scale art objects depict religious practices and experiences during the Archaic and Classical periods. Moreover, in 2012, she co-edited ''A Companion to Greek Art'' with Dimitris Plantzos, which was reissued in paperback in 2018.


Research

Smith, through her research, examined the iconography of Athenian black-figure vases from the Archaic period found at the Berezan archaeological site, discussing their significance in understanding ancient Greek visual culture and societal aspects depicted through themes such as mythology, religion, and everyday life. In related research, she explored the use of Greek vase-painting, particularly early Athenian red-figure dance scenes found on drinking-cups, as a source for understanding ancient Greek dance and performance, emphasizing the benefits of modern online resources for studying dance iconography. Smith's 2014 publication with Ethan Gruber explored applying linked open data methodologies to create a discipline-specific thesaurus for Greek pottery, integrating existing vocabulary systems, and demonstrating its utility through web-based tools for data analysis and visualization. In the same year, she also provided a multi-faceted approach to teaching death in the classroom within the context of Classical studies, focusing on ancient Greek culture, aiming to address discomfort through contextualization, visual and material evidence, and various teaching techniques. Later, in 2018, she explored the importance of rock-cut votive reliefs in Pisidia, analyzing their modern recovery, permanency in landscape, devotional significance, and cross-regional relevance, highlighting their enduring significance beyond antiquity. In 2020, she authored a book chapter in the book titled ''The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Athens'', wherein she examined the diverse roles and significance of animals in ancient Athenian society, drawing from sources such as texts, inscriptions, archaeology, and visual arts, with a focus on their involvement in everyday life, mythology and religion, as well as performance and competition. Her 2022 work in a volume in honor of Gocha R. Tsetskhladze examined an Athenian black-figure skyphos featuring three Gorgons, analyzing its iconography, audience, cultural context, connection to Perseus, figure poses, potential performance relevance, and its discovery on Berezan. Her more recent work surveyed recent publications (2017–2023) on ancient Greek art, categorizing them by themes and materials, and concludes with observations on prevalent subjects like the body, aesthetics, religion, and intercultural connections.


Awards and honors

*2010 – Award for Excellence in College Teaching,
Classical Association of the Middle West and South The Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) is a professional organization for classicists and non-classicists at all levels of instruction which promotes the Classics through the broad scope of its annual meeting, through its pub ...
. *2013–2014 – Student Council Distinguished Teaching Award, University of Virginia. *2021 – Z Society Distinguished Faculty Award, University of Virginia, 2021. *2022 – Jefferson Scholars Foundation Award for Excellence in Teaching, University of Virginia.


Bibliography


Books

*''Komast Dancers in Archaic Greek Art'' (2010) *''A Companion to Greek Art, with D. Plantzos'' (2012; 2nd edn. 2018) *''Religion in the Art of Archaic and Classical Greece'' (2021)


Selected articles

*Smith, T. J. (2009). "East Greek pottery in the collection of the British School at Athens". The Annual of the British School at Athens, 104, 341–360. *Smith, T. J. (2011). "Highland gods: Votive reliefs from the Pisidian Survey". Anatolian Studies, 61, 133–150. *Smith, T. J. (2014). "Myth, cult, and performance: Sir John Soane's Cawdor Vase". Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies, 57(1), 96–123. *Smith, T. J. (2018). "Interaction, cult and memory: Another look at the rock-cut votive reliefs of southwest Anatolia". Colloquium Anatolicum, 17, 119–136. *Smith, T.J. (202). "Orchesis Kallinikos: Lillian B. Lawler's Greek Dance Legacy”, Classical World 113, 197–222. *Smith, T. J. (2021). "Bodies in Motion: Dance, Gesture, and Ritual on Greek Vases", Greek and Roman Musical Studies 9, 49–84.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Tyler Jo American women archaeologists 21st-century American archaeologists 21st-century archaeologists 21st-century American women academics 21st-century American academics 20th-century American women academics 20th-century American academics 21st-century scholars University of Virginia faculty Davidson College alumni Alumni of the University of Oxford Living people 1967 births