Santa Susana Project Staff
Project Directors
Dr. Emma Ljung is Senior Lecturer in the Writing Program at Princeton University where she teaches archaeological ethics and heritage management. She received her PhD in Classical Archaeology from the Department of Art & Archaeology at Princeton University (2012), and holds an MA in Classical Art & Archaeology from Princeton (2007) as well as a BA in Classical Archaeology & Ancient History from Lunds Universitet (2003). She has excavated extensively across the Mediterranean including sites in Greece, Cyprus, and Portugal. Her research focuses predominantly on the ancient economy, and her dissertation From Indemnity to Integration: Economic Decline in Late Hellenistic Aitolia won numerous international awards and grants. She also works with digital approaches to classical texts, especially Plutarch. An expert on field survey and depositional processes in the plow zone, Emma hopes the Santa Susana team will uncover important data to aid in our understanding of local economic behavior, especially in terms of how the villa functioned within the greater region.
Rui Mataloto is the archaeologist and cultural officer for the Municipality of Redondo, Portugal. He holds an MA in Prehistory and Archaeology from the University of Lisbon and has worked as a professional archaeologist in the Alentejo region for over a decade. He also serves as a researcher for UNIARQ, the Center for Archaeology at the University of Lisbon, and as vice president of the PortAnta Archaeological Cooperative. He has published extensively on the archaeology of Alto Alentejo, including the Carta Arqueológica de Redondo (2001) and many articles on topics in the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman Republican periods. Rui's research interests encompass lithics, prehistoric landscapes, and interactions between indigenous Alentejans and Roman settlers. He hopes to rediscover the mosaics at Santa Susana mentioned by early 20th century Portuguese archaeologists.
Supervisors
Melanie Ashton (house supervisor) holds two BAs from the University of South Florida (Classics and History) and has excavated in both Sicily and Portugal. Outside of archaeology, where they focus on provincial daily life and the sacred, they are passionate about reestablishing native biodiversity and sustainable ecology.
Dr. Betsy Bevis (field director) is a Lecturer in the Department of Classics at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and holds a PhD from the Department of the History of Art at Johns Hopkins University. She also holds an MA in Classical Archaeology from the University of Missouri, Columbia and a BA in Classics from Gustavus Adolphus College. Her research interests center on the art and archaeology of the late Roman west – more specifically late Roman villa culture and its early medieval reception, the connections between text and image, and ancient dress and textile production. She has excavated at projects in Italy and Portugal, and hopes that the site contains fascinating reuses of Roman material culture or even just some spindle whorls.
Emily Dixon (lab supervisor) is a PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and holds a BA from the University of Richmond (2023). She is partial to dogs, mica, and well-designed Excel sheets.
Abbie Kavouras (survey supervisor) holds a BA in Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College. (2022) and currently works as an archaeologist on prehistoric sites in the Midwest. Abbie enjoys identifying the various typologies of Roman ceramics found on survey, and hopes that the site will reveal epigraphic evidence of its Roman past.
André Pereira (excavation supervisor) is a professional archaeologist with experience on a myriad different sites. He is especially well-versed in prehistoric archaeology, and specializes in flint tools, schist plaques, and rock painting. His playlist is superlative.
Former and occasional team members
Dr. Joey Williams (director) is a lecturer in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Oklahoma. He holds a PhD in Mediterranean Archaeology from the Department of Classics at the University at Buffalo (2014), an MA in Classical Archaeology from the University of Arizona (2007), and a BA from Hendrix College (2004). Joey has worked extensively on archaeological projects in both Italy and Portugal, and he has run summer programs at the Museu Nacional de Arqueologia in Lisbon. His recent book, The Archaeology of Roman Surveillance in the Central Alentejo, Portugal, uses geographic information systems and material culture analysis to examine the negotiation of the ancient Luso-Roman colonial landscape through the use of watchtowers. A specialist in Roman material culture, Joey currently directs the Ficulle Project's archaeolgical field school with Dr. Sue Alcock and organizes the Summer School in Roman Pottery.
Catarina Alves (excavation supervisor) is a PhD candidate in Roman Archaeology at the University of Lisbon. She holds an MA in Archaeology from the same university and has worked as a professional archaeologist in the Alentejo region for almost a decade. She also serves as a researcher for UNIARQ, the Center for Archaeology at the University of Lisbon, and holds a doctoral research grant from FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology). She has published several articles related to fieldwork carried out in Alentejo. Her dissertation is entitled Povoamento romano (fortificado?) no Baixo Alentejo, Portugal. Catarina's research interests encompass Roman ceramics, ancient landscapes, and interactions between indigenous Alentejans and Roman settlers.
Dr. Alex Elliott (excavation supervisor) holds a PhD from the School of Classics at the University of St Andrews (2024). He also holds an MA in Classics from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Alex has archaeological experience from digs in both Portugal and Australia and previously acted as the Collections Coordinator for the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne, Australia. His research interests focus on the Roman military, particularly on its often-overlooked naval element. Currently, Alex co-directs the Castelo de Cuncos Archaeological Project, an Iron Age/Roman Republican walled settlement in the Alentejo.
Casey Haughin-Scasny (lab supervisor) is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at the University of California Santa Barbara and holds degrees from University of Cambridge (MPhil) and Johns Hopkins University (BA). Casey knows everything there is to know about the Redondo rooftop cats and their imitations.
Emily Jonsson (survey supervisor) studied Classics and Government at Georgetown University and has now completed an MA at the University of Arizona. She worked at Santa Susana for several summers.
Mark Nakahara (survey supervisor) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 with a degree in Classical Studies, and now holds a JD from the University of Pennsylvania. Before law school, he worked as a Latin and Greek teacher at Scranton Preparatory School in Scranton, PA, teaching all levels of Latin and Greek to high school students.
Karilyn Sheldon (lab supervisor) earned her MA in Classics at the University of Notre Dame after completing her BA in Classics, Anthropology, and Ancient Greek at the University of New Hampshire. She is a Centrista (ICCS Spring '12), and has taught courses on Roman architecture and archaeology in Rome and Pompeii for the University of New Hampshire. She has worked close to the fringes of the Roman Empire, doing excavation and research in Portugal and Albania. Karilyn has served as co-director of the Caladinho Archaeological Project.
Bianca Viseu (excavation supervisor) holds a MA from the Department of Anthropology at McMaster University and a BA from the University of Toronto. She co-directs the Castelo Archaeological Project, a prehistoric fortress near Redondo, and runs Iberian Heritage Tours..
Dr. Brandi Bethke (faunal specialist) is the lab director for the Oklahoma Archeological Survey at the University of Oklahoma. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Arizona. She completed her BA in Anthropology, Classics, and History at Augustana College in 2010. She then went on to receive her MA in Classical Archaeology from the University of Exeter with a thesis that explored the relationship between humans and animals during the Roman Period, focusing particularly on dogs and their incorporation into human kinship systems as evidenced by funerary remains. At the University of Arizona Brandi has shifted her focus to the study of interactions between humans, animals, and the landscape among prehistoric and contemporary groups in the Northern Great Plains. She has conducted field and laboratory research on projects in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Italy, Portugal, and Britain. At Santa Susana, Brandi provides identification and analysis of faunal remains.
Dr. Andrew Donnelly (ceramics specialist) took his PhD in History from Loyola University Chicago and is now assistant professor of History at Texas A&M Commerce. He also holds an MA in History from Boston University and an MA in Classical Archaeology from Tufts University and has participated on excavations in England, Italy, and Portugal. His dissertation Food and Society in Late Antique and Early Medieval Italy analyzed textual and archaeological evidence for cooking in the Italian peninsula and studied the relationship between food preparation and transforming ethnic, regional, and religious identities. Andrew co-organizes the Summer School in Roman Pottery.
Dr. Emma Ljung is Senior Lecturer in the Writing Program at Princeton University where she teaches archaeological ethics and heritage management. She received her PhD in Classical Archaeology from the Department of Art & Archaeology at Princeton University (2012), and holds an MA in Classical Art & Archaeology from Princeton (2007) as well as a BA in Classical Archaeology & Ancient History from Lunds Universitet (2003). She has excavated extensively across the Mediterranean including sites in Greece, Cyprus, and Portugal. Her research focuses predominantly on the ancient economy, and her dissertation From Indemnity to Integration: Economic Decline in Late Hellenistic Aitolia won numerous international awards and grants. She also works with digital approaches to classical texts, especially Plutarch. An expert on field survey and depositional processes in the plow zone, Emma hopes the Santa Susana team will uncover important data to aid in our understanding of local economic behavior, especially in terms of how the villa functioned within the greater region.
Rui Mataloto is the archaeologist and cultural officer for the Municipality of Redondo, Portugal. He holds an MA in Prehistory and Archaeology from the University of Lisbon and has worked as a professional archaeologist in the Alentejo region for over a decade. He also serves as a researcher for UNIARQ, the Center for Archaeology at the University of Lisbon, and as vice president of the PortAnta Archaeological Cooperative. He has published extensively on the archaeology of Alto Alentejo, including the Carta Arqueológica de Redondo (2001) and many articles on topics in the Bronze Age, Iron Age, and Roman Republican periods. Rui's research interests encompass lithics, prehistoric landscapes, and interactions between indigenous Alentejans and Roman settlers. He hopes to rediscover the mosaics at Santa Susana mentioned by early 20th century Portuguese archaeologists.
Supervisors
Melanie Ashton (house supervisor) holds two BAs from the University of South Florida (Classics and History) and has excavated in both Sicily and Portugal. Outside of archaeology, where they focus on provincial daily life and the sacred, they are passionate about reestablishing native biodiversity and sustainable ecology.
Dr. Betsy Bevis (field director) is a Lecturer in the Department of Classics at University of Illinois Urbana Champaign and holds a PhD from the Department of the History of Art at Johns Hopkins University. She also holds an MA in Classical Archaeology from the University of Missouri, Columbia and a BA in Classics from Gustavus Adolphus College. Her research interests center on the art and archaeology of the late Roman west – more specifically late Roman villa culture and its early medieval reception, the connections between text and image, and ancient dress and textile production. She has excavated at projects in Italy and Portugal, and hopes that the site contains fascinating reuses of Roman material culture or even just some spindle whorls.
Emily Dixon (lab supervisor) is a PhD candidate at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill and holds a BA from the University of Richmond (2023). She is partial to dogs, mica, and well-designed Excel sheets.
Abbie Kavouras (survey supervisor) holds a BA in Greek, Latin, and Classical Studies from Gustavus Adolphus College. (2022) and currently works as an archaeologist on prehistoric sites in the Midwest. Abbie enjoys identifying the various typologies of Roman ceramics found on survey, and hopes that the site will reveal epigraphic evidence of its Roman past.
André Pereira (excavation supervisor) is a professional archaeologist with experience on a myriad different sites. He is especially well-versed in prehistoric archaeology, and specializes in flint tools, schist plaques, and rock painting. His playlist is superlative.
Former and occasional team members
Dr. Joey Williams (director) is a lecturer in the Department of Classical Studies at the University of Oklahoma. He holds a PhD in Mediterranean Archaeology from the Department of Classics at the University at Buffalo (2014), an MA in Classical Archaeology from the University of Arizona (2007), and a BA from Hendrix College (2004). Joey has worked extensively on archaeological projects in both Italy and Portugal, and he has run summer programs at the Museu Nacional de Arqueologia in Lisbon. His recent book, The Archaeology of Roman Surveillance in the Central Alentejo, Portugal, uses geographic information systems and material culture analysis to examine the negotiation of the ancient Luso-Roman colonial landscape through the use of watchtowers. A specialist in Roman material culture, Joey currently directs the Ficulle Project's archaeolgical field school with Dr. Sue Alcock and organizes the Summer School in Roman Pottery.
Catarina Alves (excavation supervisor) is a PhD candidate in Roman Archaeology at the University of Lisbon. She holds an MA in Archaeology from the same university and has worked as a professional archaeologist in the Alentejo region for almost a decade. She also serves as a researcher for UNIARQ, the Center for Archaeology at the University of Lisbon, and holds a doctoral research grant from FCT (Foundation for Science and Technology). She has published several articles related to fieldwork carried out in Alentejo. Her dissertation is entitled Povoamento romano (fortificado?) no Baixo Alentejo, Portugal. Catarina's research interests encompass Roman ceramics, ancient landscapes, and interactions between indigenous Alentejans and Roman settlers.
Dr. Alex Elliott (excavation supervisor) holds a PhD from the School of Classics at the University of St Andrews (2024). He also holds an MA in Classics from the University of Melbourne, Australia. Alex has archaeological experience from digs in both Portugal and Australia and previously acted as the Collections Coordinator for the Hellenic Museum in Melbourne, Australia. His research interests focus on the Roman military, particularly on its often-overlooked naval element. Currently, Alex co-directs the Castelo de Cuncos Archaeological Project, an Iron Age/Roman Republican walled settlement in the Alentejo.
Casey Haughin-Scasny (lab supervisor) is a PhD candidate in the Department of History at the University of California Santa Barbara and holds degrees from University of Cambridge (MPhil) and Johns Hopkins University (BA). Casey knows everything there is to know about the Redondo rooftop cats and their imitations.
Emily Jonsson (survey supervisor) studied Classics and Government at Georgetown University and has now completed an MA at the University of Arizona. She worked at Santa Susana for several summers.
Mark Nakahara (survey supervisor) graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2012 with a degree in Classical Studies, and now holds a JD from the University of Pennsylvania. Before law school, he worked as a Latin and Greek teacher at Scranton Preparatory School in Scranton, PA, teaching all levels of Latin and Greek to high school students.
Karilyn Sheldon (lab supervisor) earned her MA in Classics at the University of Notre Dame after completing her BA in Classics, Anthropology, and Ancient Greek at the University of New Hampshire. She is a Centrista (ICCS Spring '12), and has taught courses on Roman architecture and archaeology in Rome and Pompeii for the University of New Hampshire. She has worked close to the fringes of the Roman Empire, doing excavation and research in Portugal and Albania. Karilyn has served as co-director of the Caladinho Archaeological Project.
Bianca Viseu (excavation supervisor) holds a MA from the Department of Anthropology at McMaster University and a BA from the University of Toronto. She co-directs the Castelo Archaeological Project, a prehistoric fortress near Redondo, and runs Iberian Heritage Tours..
Dr. Brandi Bethke (faunal specialist) is the lab director for the Oklahoma Archeological Survey at the University of Oklahoma. She holds a PhD in Anthropology from the University of Arizona. She completed her BA in Anthropology, Classics, and History at Augustana College in 2010. She then went on to receive her MA in Classical Archaeology from the University of Exeter with a thesis that explored the relationship between humans and animals during the Roman Period, focusing particularly on dogs and their incorporation into human kinship systems as evidenced by funerary remains. At the University of Arizona Brandi has shifted her focus to the study of interactions between humans, animals, and the landscape among prehistoric and contemporary groups in the Northern Great Plains. She has conducted field and laboratory research on projects in South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana, Italy, Portugal, and Britain. At Santa Susana, Brandi provides identification and analysis of faunal remains.
Dr. Andrew Donnelly (ceramics specialist) took his PhD in History from Loyola University Chicago and is now assistant professor of History at Texas A&M Commerce. He also holds an MA in History from Boston University and an MA in Classical Archaeology from Tufts University and has participated on excavations in England, Italy, and Portugal. His dissertation Food and Society in Late Antique and Early Medieval Italy analyzed textual and archaeological evidence for cooking in the Italian peninsula and studied the relationship between food preparation and transforming ethnic, regional, and religious identities. Andrew co-organizes the Summer School in Roman Pottery.
