Cosa: Past, Present, and Future – A Conference in Honor of Russell T. Scott
Ammerican Academy in Rome
Lecture Room
Via Angelo Masina 5
Roma
Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Rom
Sala Conferenze
Via Sardegna 79-81
Roma
Data evento
29 Maggio 2025 - 30 Maggio 2025
he Roman city of Cosa (modern Orbetello) was founded in 273 BCE and the excavations of this site have produced key data for our understanding of Republican-period archaeology and Roman urbanism. Excavations there have been carried out by the American Academy under Frank Brown in the 1940s, and subsequently by archeologists from the American Academy in Rome, other international projects, and now Florida State University. This conference honors the life, scholarship, and academic contributions of Russell T. Scott, Andrew W. Mellon Professor-in-Charge of the School of Classical Studies from 1984–88) and longtime director of the Cosa excavations. Former students, colleagues, and archaeologists active at Cosa will convene at the American Academy in Rome on 29 May and the Deutsche Archäologisches Institut on 30 May to celebrate the legacy of Professor Scott and present new research on Cosa.
The scope of the conference is the site of Cosa, and the central place it continues to occupy in Roman republican archaeology. It is a small site with an impressive record of research and publication that began more than seventy years ago under the leadership of Frank E. Brown, whose team was also responsible for the creation of a tourist itinerary and, what was still something of a novelty in Italy, an on-site museum. Although Professor Scott was central to this legacy, he always looked toward the future. In 2013, he spearheaded the Cosa Excavations consortium, fostering collaboration between US and German institutions, leading archaeological exploration of key sites and introducing a range of scientific approaches that have greatly advanced our understanding of the colony and its evolution. The conference will highlight emerging data from the site while also providing an opportunity to discuss them with our Italian colleagues, who have played an equally important role in bringing Cosa back into focus.