UT students conducted research and explored ancient history in Greece, Cyprus, and Italy during summer 2025.

Scholarships and grants provided through the Department of Classics support undergraduate and graduate students’ research and bring learning to life. Following are examples from the summer of 2025.

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Justin Langlois

Graduate student in Mediterranean archaeology

This summer I was fortunate to receive the Haines-Morris Travel Scholarship to travel to Greece and participate in the Agia Marina Pyrgos Excavations, led by Dr. Michael Lane of the University of Maryland-Baltimore County, while also visiting a range of Bronze Age and classical sites. 

The highlight for me was the chance to visit Mitrou, the focus of my thesis project, which is a virtual reality reconstruction of the Middle and Late Bronze Age settlements at the site. My travels this summer helped me to visualize Mitrou’s place within the broader Bronze Age Greek landscape.

Although I have been working as an archaeologist in the American Southwest for years, this scholarship gave me valuable insights into fieldwork practices in Greece, which will directly shape the way I view the materials used to produce my thesis. Having seen the sites with my own eyes, I can now render a more vivid and accurate reconstruction of the ancient environment.

The human connections I made were just as memorable. Living in a small village, I was welcomed into a warm and close-knit community. The friendships I made and the generosity of the people left a lasting impression on me, deepening both my appreciation of Greece and my excitement for the path ahead.

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Andrew Montgomery

Graduate student in Mediterranean archaeology

Thanks to the generosity of a Haines-Morris Travel Scholarship, I spent two and a half weeks on the island of Crete in southern Greece. 

My master’s thesis research focuses on Minoan peak sanctuaries and their viability as astronomical observation sites. In all, I was able to visit 12 of these mountain sanctuaries. 

By using a sighting compass with a clinometer, I gathered a plethora of data on the orientation of sanctuary structures, which could not be measured accurately with satellite imagery. I will use the data to determine possible astronomical alignments.

While these peak sanctuaries are largely on public land, some of the sites were more difficult to access than others. However, the views were breathtaking. Crete is a mountainous island, and many of the sites were at elevations of over 1000 meters and required long hikes. I also dealt with many fences and some huge shepherds’ dogs who did not like to let me pass! 

My trip was a fantastic research experience that would not have been possible without the support of the sponsors and this department. 

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Harley Diamond

Undergraduate student

During my summer abroad, I took Classical Mythology at the Lorenzo de Medici Institute in Florence, Italy. This course was taught by an archaeologist based in Florence who has worked with the National Archaeological Museum in Florence. The highlight of the course for me was the professor’s guided tour of the museum. 

I am grateful for all the amazing museums that I was able to visit while in Italy. I loved being able to visit somewhere that shares my values of preserving cultural heritage and making it accessible for people from around the world. 

I also took short trips to Assisi, Siena, and Rome. In Assisi, I saw the Basilica of Saint Francis and the ruins of the temple to Minerva located underneath the present-day Piazza. During my trip to Siena, I saw the beautiful Siena Cathedral and the medieval town of San Gimignano. 

I also had an incredible time in Rome! I was able to see the Colosseum, the Forum, Palatine Hill, and the Capitoline Museum. I am hopeful that I will be able to return to Rome in the future and explore all the other amazing sites there. 

I am grateful for the Athena Travel Grant and the Susan D. Martin Scholarship that made this trip possible. My summer experiences have inspired me for my future career in collections management.

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Gabby Puckett

Undergraduate student

Thanks to a Haines-Morris Travel Scholarship from the Department of Classics, I had the opportunity to spend my summer excavating at Makounta-Voules in Polis Chrysochous, Cyprus. 

Each day began before sunrise. We pulled our water bottles from the freezer, and by 5 a.m. we were on the bus. I never missed the chance to watch the sun rise over the mountains while the moon disappeared.

Each morning we excavated the site, and in the afternoons we conducted lab work. My personal project was to work on cleaning faunal remains from past seasons, removing calcium deposits so they could be studied more effectively. This hands-on lab work reinforced my passion for zooarchaeology and gave me skills that will be invaluable in my future career.

Of course, it was not all work. Afternoons often ended with swims in the Mediterranean, where we shared laughs and stories after long hours in the trenches. Some fond memories are from these moments with new friends, watching the sun sink into the sea. 

This experience confirmed for me that archaeology is not just something I want to study, it is something I want to do for the rest of my life. I am deeply grateful for the support and encouragement that made this unforgettable opportunity possible.