Thoughts on Numismatics and Archaeology

A native of Sicily, I first studied languages and linguistics at the University of Catania and Old Dominion University, and then classical art and archaeology at the University of Haifa and the University of Virginia, where I received my PhD. I am presently a Lecturer of Classical Studies and Art History at Christopher Newport University, where I teach Greek Art and Archaeology, Roman Art and Archaeology in addition to Survey of World Art I and Art of the Roman Frontiers. I recently joined the Honor’s Program with a course in Ancient Numismatics.
My research interests are in Greek and Roman coins,  in particular the reciprocal feedback between the culturally specific iconography of coins and identity construction; the semiotic function of coins as primary vehicles through which meaning was constructed in a pecuniary culture; and the interactions between dominant/élite and non-élite beliefs and identities that shape a given society. More recently, I am also interested in early Christian art, especially the transition between Late Roman and Christian iconography.