Archaeological Institute of America talk by Dr. Alicia Dissinger: “Birds in Cypro-Archaic Art: Classifications, Comparanda, and Case Studies”

April 17, 2025

Swallow Hall 101, University of Missouri

5:30 PM (reception at 5 PM)

Paid street parking (until 6 PM) is located nearby, as well as on the top floor of Hitt Parking deck: https://maps.app.goo.gl/Zq368TKJjoqsX4nh7

As part of her visit to Columbia, Dr. Alicia Dissinger (American School of Classical Studies at Athens) will be giving two talks, one hosted by the Central Missouri Chapter of the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA) on Thursday, April 17 and one by Columbia Audubon on Friday, April 18 (as part of the April Membership meeting). Both are free and open to the public!

For this talk, sponsored by the Central Missouri AIA, Alicia Dissinger will focus on the archaeology of birds in ancient Cypriot pottery and sculpture, discussing the potential symbolism of various species depicted in Cypriot iconography. Three categories in particular seem to stand out for their associations with aspects of daily life and religion: waterfowl and death; songbirds and sacrifice/offerings; and raptors and rulers. Why did these associations exist? And what can they tell us about how birds were viewed and venerated in the ancient world?

 

This talk will take place at 5:30 in the Swallow Hall Auditorium (Swallow 101) at the University of Missouri, and will be preceded by a reception at 5.

More information about the venue can be found here: https://doit.missouri.edu/classrooms/swallow-hall-room-101/

Alicia Dissinger received her PhD in Art & Architectural History from the University of Virginia in 2017. She also holds an MA in Art History from the University of Texas at Austin and a BA in Archaeology from the College of Wooster. Alicia has excavated in Cyprus, Greece, and Italy. Her academic work focuses on Archaic Cyprus, with a special interest on representations of animals (mainly images of birds) in the ancient world. She is currently the Programs Administrator at the American School of Classical Studies at Athens.