Dr. Ambra Spinelli is a classical archaeologist and art historian who received a B.A. in Classics and a M.A. in Archaeology from the Università di Bologna, and a Ph.D. in Art History (with a specialization in Classical Art & Archaeology) from the University of Southern California. Her scholarship integrates the analysis of artifacts, architecture, decorative and textual evidence to explore ancient Roman domestic and everyday life. Her interests also encompass the influence of Eastern and Italic rituals on Roman soil, and Roman perceptions and adaptations of earlier traditions. At AUR, she teaches courses in Roman art and archaeology as well as Greek and Roman history and religion.
Professor Spinelli participated in various archaeological excavation projects in Italy and, from 2011 to 2020, she served as Head of Archival Research and Assistant to the Director for the University of Cincinnati’s “Pompeii Archaeological Research Project: Porta Stabia.” She also has several years of museum and archaeological research experience in Etruscan, Roman, and medieval sites, including Marzabotto, Bologna, Pompeii, Herculaneum, Naples, Rome, Acquaviva Picena, and Albinia (Grosseto).
Selected Publications (Peer-Reviewed):
Books:
- Current Book Project (under contract with De Gruyter): Why Objects Matter: Studies in Greek and Roman Art & Materiality from Antiquity to the Present. Co-author.
- Artistry in Bronze: The Greeks and Their Legacy. XIXth International Congress on Ancient Bronzes (2017). The J. Paul Getty Museum. Co-author.
Articles and Book Chapters:
- “Spectacle and Society. Theater and Paintings in Vesuvian Tablina,” in Why Objects Matter: Studies in Greek and Roman Art & Materiality from Antiquity to the Present. (Current book project under contract with De Gruyter).
- “The History of Excavation and Research Activity in Insulae VIII.7 and I.1,” in The Porta Stabia Neighborhood at Pompeii. Vol. 1: Structure, Stratigraphy, and Space (2023). Oxford University Press, 42-59. Co-author.
- “The Ritual Contexts in Insulae VIII.7 and I.1,” in The Porta Stabia Neighborhood at Pompeii. Vol. 1: Structure, Stratigraphy, and Space (2023). Oxford University Press, 429-434. Co-author.
- “Beyond Social and Functional Interpretations of Wall Paintings: Mythological Imagery in the Tablinum of Pompeii and Herculaneum.” Journal of Roman Archaeology, Vol. 35.1 (Jul. 2022), 177–193.
- “The ‘Getty Cybele’: A Roman Portrait of Feminine Virtues.” American Journal of Archaeology, Vol. 121.3 (Jul. 2017), 369–396.
- “Underwater Archaeology in Italy: The Park of Baia (Naples),” in SOMA 2007: Proceedings of the XI Symposium on Mediterranean Archaeology, Istanbul Technical University (2007). Oxford Archaeopress, 358–361.
Book Reviews:
- “Excavating the Archives: The Domus M. Lucretii IX 3, 5.24 at Pompeii.” Review of R. Berg and I. Kuivalainen (eds.), Domus Pompeiana M. Lucretii IX 3, 5.24. The Inscriptions, Works of Art and Finds from the Old and New Excavations (2019), in Journal of Roman Archaeology, Vol. 34.2 (Dec. 2021), 883–888.
Catalogue Essays and Entries:
- “Spinario Castellani” and “Hermes from Saponara,” in Power and Pathos: Bronze Sculpture of the Hellenistic World (2015). The J. Paul Getty Museum, 216, 306; and in the Italian catalogue Potere e Pathos. Bronzi del Mondo Ellenistico (2015). Giunti Editore, 216, 306.
- “Comic Figurine of a Slave Seated on an Altar” and “Red-Figured Bell Krater with Phlyax Scene,” in The Art of Ancient Greek Theater (2010). The J. Paul Getty Museum, 119, 142.