AN INTERDISCIPLINARY AND INTERDEPARTMENTAL PROGRAM AT COLUMBIA

Nikki Vellidis

Nikki started pursuing an MA in Classical Studies in Fall 2019. Her primary interests lie in the reconstruction of the ancient environment in which a work of art would have been placed, the identification of patterns in the complex emotion landscape surrounding artworks, and the presentation of art within domestic settings. In short, she would like to rebuild structures and spaces from an ancient perspective using archaeological, social, and economic factors.

Nikki graduated from the University of Georgia in May of 2019 with degrees in Classical Culture (with an emphasis on Classical Archaeology) and Classical Languages (with an emphasis on Latin), and a certificate in Archaeological Sciences. While at UGA, Nikki conducted in-depth research on a statuette of the goddess Hygeia and worked on mapping data from the Himera cemetery site in Sicily. Moreover, she presented two papers at the University of Georgia’s Classics Undergraduate Research Conference and had research published in The Classic Journal, UGA’s undergraduate publication. Nikki also worked at the University of Georgia’s Laboratory of Archaeology as a collections technician for the National Park Service. Nikki spent three summers of her undergraduate career abroad. She studied in Rome after her freshmen year as part of UGA’s Classics Study Abroad in Rome. After her sophomore year, Nikki went to her first archaeological dig at the Early-Iron-Age and Archaic site of Azoria in Crete through the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. The following year, Nikki excavated with University College London and the Astypalaia Bioanthropology Field School working at the Kylindra cemetery site. Most recently, Nikki presented her research titled The Footsteps of the Romans: An Examination of the Low Ham Mosaic through the Lens of Narrative Art at the Movement, Mobility, and the Journey: Ancient Actions and Perspectives Conference hosted by the Society for Ancient Studies at the University of Pennsylvania.