Diane Atnally Conlin, whose studies and special interest in Roman art and archaeology have begun to attract widespread recognition, is gaining an international reputation as a specialist in ancient carving techniques.
Now she brings that expertise to the University of Colorado at Boulder.
Conlin is a new faculty member at CU-Boulder this fall, with a joint appointment in the classics and fine arts departments.
Â鶹ÒùÔº in her undergraduate and graduate courses are learning from a professor who is fascinated with analyzing sculpted stone and who, consequently, is in demand by curators worldwide.
Conlin was the only American professor invited to London's British Museum at the end of November to participate in a conference on the Elgin Marbles. As a member of a panel of experts, Conlin has been asked to help determine if the 1930s cleaning of the Marbles substantially damaged the stones.
The decision is important because the sculptures from the Parthenon in Athens are used as models for determining ancient Greek carving methods.
Conlin also recently returned from a visit to the Dallas museum to authenticate a sculpted Roman sarcophagus. She used technical analysis to look at carving marks and concluded the sarcophagus seemed to be consistent with Roman carving techniques and was not a forgery, a common practice in the field of ancient sculpture.
Local archaeology enthusiasts will have an opportunity to learn of Conlin's work firsthand. She is scheduled to address the Boulder chapter of the Archeology Institute of America on restorations of classical sculpture and on her work on a famous monument in Rome, the Ara Pacis, in early March.
According to Peter Knox, chair of the classics department, "Classics is the university's oldest multicultural area studies program and Diane's joint appointment in classics and fine arts exemplifies our multidisciplinary approach to the study of the ancient world.
"We are excited by the possibilities for innovative expansion of our curriculum. But, more importantly, so are our students, who capture Diane's enthusiasm and are inspired by her expertise."
Conlin earned doctoral and master's degrees in classical art and archaeology from the University of Michigan. Her dissertation prompted a book, published in 1997, "The Artists of the Ara Pacis: the Process of Hellenization in Roman Relief Sculpture."
Conlin, along with Vernon Minor, associate professor in CU-Boulder's departments of fine arts and comparative literature and humanities, is a recipient of the Rome Prize, a fellowship awarded by the American Academy in Rome.
The Rome Prize is the most prestigious fellowship for an American scholar studying ancient and post-ancient Italy, so it is notable that CU-Boulder hosts two of them.
The classics department offers a complete sequence of courses in ancient Greek and Latin and a variety of courses in English translation on the ancient world. Courses are available to students who are looking to fulfill their requirements in the core curriculum, who want to learn an ancient language or who are just interested in the world of antiquity.
For more information call (303) 492-6257 or visit the Web site at .