Roman culture lies at the heart of much of contemporary culture around the world, and represents an unparalleled example of both physical and cultural sustainability, combining timeless art and architecture with one of the richest archaeological patrimonies in the world.
About The American Institute for Roman Culture
The American Institute for Roman Culture works tirelessly to preserve and protect Rome’s extraordinary and unique cultural legacy through education, outreach, and action.
We carry out our mission through international collaborations as well as the production of original content from Rome: photos, videos, webinars, and conversation on location.
Our mission is to promote and defend Rome’s cultural heritage through educational programs, projects, and public outreach in conservation, video, and social media.
Meet The Team
As CEO, Darius oversees all activities liaising with the team below to ensure our goals are met. Darius works tirelessly to promote Roman culture and history via digital mediums including social media (Twitter, Instagram) and live-streaming (Periscope, Facebook Live).
Paolo Gardelli is an archaeologist and heritage specialist working primarily in the Bay of Naples area, ancient Stabiae, Pompeii and other sites. He's coordinated several conservation projects on these sties as well and provides decades of experience to the Institute in projects and programs.
Rebecca was brought up with a love of Italian culture, and studied history at the University of Delaware. Being a granddaughter of Italian immigrants and after extensively traveling through Italy, she rekindled her passion for Ancient Rome, and is now an integral part of our team.
Warren works with the team to implement our digital activities across all projects. Working in digital marketing for most of his career, he is an expert in web design, social media, email, SEO and ecommerce. Coupling this experience with his passion for the city of Rome and Roman history, Warren understands the challenges faced by AIRC and the digital solutions needed to overcome these.
Michele Raddi is an outgoing archaeologist whose expansive career has brought him to excavate through Italy, the Middle East, and now throughout southeast Asia. He is associate professor of the University of Udayana di Bali, Archaeology department, Bali Denpasar, Indonesia, He is the co-director of the Parco dei Ravennati excavations.
Kristian Schneider is a onservator and directs the conservation firm kavaklik.com. His projects have taken him around the globe. He has worked with the Institute during the Parco dei Ravennati excavations, overseeing all on site conservation work, and he is consulting with the Institute on educational content for Ancient Rome Live.
Jamie completed his Classical Civilisation Undergraduate degree at the University of Roehampton from 2011-14 and the City of Rome Postgraduate degree at the University of Reading 2016-17. He has supported our social media efforts for a number years, helping us meet our digital goals.
INTERNS & COLLABORATORS
Jiaqi is studying Business at UPenn. "Having grown up in Rome, I'm come to love the Eternal City and its rich history (the many emperors), culture, and food.”
Michael studied history at Binghamton University and his favorite classes covered ancient Roman politics, art, and daily life. After studying abroad in the eternal city, he joined the AIRC as an intern helping with historical research.
Danielle is an Anthropology major/ classical archaeology minor. She has loved Rome since elementary school and studied a semester abroad there. Her favorite aspect to study about Rome is art.
VOLUNTEERS
Barbara Hinch is a freelance blogger and marketing specialist, and has been part of the Piccolo Marketing team in Nashville, Tennessee for 3 years. Her role with Piccolo is in creating brand-specific content for a wide variety of businesses in the Nashville area, which include construction and renovation companies, day spas, data-mining organizations, a personal concierge, and more. Barbara was fortunate to be able to visit Italy in the summer of 2009, and it was love at first sight!
CONTRIBUTORS
Nael Chami is a licensed architect from Beirut, Lebanon. He is currently a Ph.D. student at the University of Rome "La Sapienza" specializing in Roman Architecture, and its influence on early Muslim/Arab urban planning. His field of interest is the cultural impact of ancient Rome on other civilizations.
Sophia Papaioannou teaches Latin language and literature at the Faculty of Philology and the Faculty of History and Archaeology of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. Her research interests include the Latin literature of the Augustan Age, Roman Comedy, Ancient epic, Classical reception, and she has published several books and articles on the above topics.
