kheuerKeely Heuer

I am an assistant professor of ancient Mediterranean art history and archaeology at SUNY New Paltz, and my research interests concentrate on the iconography of Greek vase-painting and the interrelations between Greek settlers and indigenous populations of pre-Roman Italy. I have presented my scholarship my research at international conferences throughout the United States, Europe, and the Near East as well as published my findings in various books and journals such as the Metropolitan Museum Journal. I received my PhD from NYU, where I participated in the excavations at the Sanctuary of the Great Gods at Samothrace, Greece for two seasons. Prior to my arrival at New Paltz, I taught at Hunter College and NYU.

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O sole mio: pizza and the past in Naples

Between nerves from being on a ship overnight and a broken-down air conditioning system on our deck, most of our group did not get a lot of sleep. We docked in Naples very early this morning (5:30 AM!) and hauling our luggage was exhausting, but the warm greeting we received at our hotel, even down
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Palermo: Celebrating Cultural Diversity in Medieval Sicily

Sadly the archaeological museum in Palermo remains closed after many years, so we were unable to visit the wonderful architectural sculpture from the temples at Selinunte among other treasures. Instead, we used our time in Palermo as an opportunity to explore post-antique Sicily and how it was influenced by its Greco-Roman heritage. The island’s strategic
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How the Other Half Lives (Ancient Sicily Edition)

While the focus of this course is the impact that Greeks had upon ancient Italy, it is essential to remember that they hardly lived there in isolation. Today we learned about other groups with whom the Greeks interacted in western Sicily. We started with a trip to the island of Mozia, which was settled by
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Selinunte: Take us to your temples (and your beach too!)

Today’s adventures were another episode of “Ain’t No Ruin High Enough,” which has now become everyone’s favorite archaeological game, followed closely by the ever-popular game of “Can Professor Heuer Guess What This Potsherd Came From?” Thankfully, due to the low numbers of crowds at many sites in Sicily, being allowed to get up close and
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Awed in Agrigento

The magnificence of the Greek colonies in the western Mediterranean becomes readily apparent when approaching the site of Agrigento as the ruins of one temple after another emerges above its ancient walls. No matter how many times I have done this drive, I still get goosebumps. Agrigento is a good example of how a number
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Expanding our holdings: pushing into the interior

Much like our ancient Greek counterparts, after we spent some time getting comfortable with our new surroundings along the coastline, it was time to explore the hinterland of Sicily. Our charter bus arrived this morning to whisk us off to the site of Morgantina, a city that began as an indigenous settlement, occupied by group
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Syracuse: Trysts with the Tyrants

For the past three days, my brave colonists have explored the wonders of Syracuse, which was one of the wealthiest cities in the ancient Mediterranean and the most influential Greek settlement in the history of Sicily. Founded in 734 B.C. by Greeks from the city of Corinth, the city was a place where brilliant minds such
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Catania: The “Colonists” Arrive

Jet-lagged but in good spirits, sixteen intrepid New Paltz students arrived in Sicily, and I was so relieved to see them walk through the sliding exit doors in the Catania Airport. A bit dazed and confused, probably much feeling much like their ancient Greek counterparts when founding the city of Catania in 729 B.C., they
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The Modern Odyssey

Most blogs through SUNY New Paltz’s Center for International Programs are written by students living and traveling overseas, but this one comes from a professor’s perspective. I have the pleasure of leading sixteen SUNY New Paltz students through Sicily and southern Italy over the next three weeks, exploring an important part of the ancient Mediterranean that is
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