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?

Lecture will be preceded by a reception in Swallow Hall at 5.