“Everyone dreamed of being Indiana Jones,” says Rome-based archaeologist Darius Arya. But the Eternal City is more than ancient history, it’s living history and an ongoing story that Darius shares across screens- big and small.
How does one go from an interest in the ancient to digging in the Forum and sharing history on the History Channel? It all started with a semester abroad studying classical history in Rome at the Intercollegiate Center for Classical Studies.
“I wanted to be knee-deep in ancient inscriptions and underground sites, so I figured I’d do it.” And with that vim, Arya pursued a Masters and Masters/PhD in Classical Archaeology, at University of Texas Austin, and was awarded a Fullbright scholarship and fellowship at the American Academy in Rome.
“I tend to look at Rome from the past, like 2,500 years ago, and constantly see these threads in contemporary life here as well as around the world,” says Arya, who moved to Rome in 1998, anchoring himself in the unique juxtaposition of past and present.
Over the past two decades in Rome, he’s done everything to share it his passion for Classical studies, archaeology and architecture. As director of American Institute for Roman Culture Darius created Ancient Rome Live, a YouTube channel showcasing themes in antiquity and exclusive access to sites. e also hosts television programs incluuding “Traveling the Roman Empire with Darius Arya” (Wondrium) and “Ancient Invisible Cities” (PBS) and television series “Under Italy” (RAI5).
Darius on location at the Hagia Sofia, Istanbul Turkey while shooting PBS’s Ancient Invisible Cities. Courtesy of Darius Arya
We sat down with Darius to find out what its like to live, work, and dig in Rome.
1 You’ve been coordinating excavations in Rome for 15 years. What are some of the surprises you’ve come across? What has been your most fulfilling project to date? No matter how much you plan and study, when you finally excavate you will inevitably find things you didn’t expect, never dreamed of.
My personal favorite and probably most fulfilling came from our dig at the Park of the Aqueducts, a public park less than eight miles from the center of Rome. We were halfway through the day when we uncovered a colored marble head. As we progressed, we realized we had an entire intact statue of the highest quality—a second century AD red marble statue depicting Marsyas tied to a tree, with beautiful detailed musculature and one remaining bronze inlaid eye. I was so paranoid when we found it, I decided to sleep in the trench with Marsyas that night for fear of looters (always a real threat for any excavation). The Marsyas is on permanent public display at Capitoline Museums Montemartini gallery.
2 What are the biggest challenges? Archaeology is slow work. And the thrill of a season in the field is matched by a long study season in the warehouse and in the library, with a lot of specialists and technicians and countless more hours of study, research, and documentation. It is tedious and methodical—all totally worth it.
Challenges can be bureaucratic and also topographical. Rome has some of the most complex stratigraphy in the world due to the fact that it’s been continuously occupied for over 3,000 years and thus so much was built and deposited on the same land by so many citizens, foreigners, pilgrims, governments, and empires.
Taking the larger view of the field of archaeology and heritage preservation as a whole, probably the biggest challenge today is not looting nor war, but accelerated urban development and growing need for arable land. Often archaeologists and heritage preservation experts are considered hindrances to progressive development, but they are essential stakeholders in preserving/documenting known and delineated sites as well as those yet to be uncovered, and viable sources in collaborative development.
Social media, especially live streaming, takes an active role in education storytelling and promoting cultural heritage, according to Arya, who recently won a Shorty Award for his live streaming reportage. His goal is bring his audience live to cultural heritage sites around the world. Courtesy of Darius Arya
I believe it is possible to bridge the gap between innate enthusiasm for the material and the actual academic discipline by utilizing new media to keep the material dynamic—from social media like YouTube and Instagram Stories, to better, interactive tech. — DARIUS ARYA
3 How do you navigate living in Rome, a contemporary city with nearly three thousand years of visible history and lot of baggage? With hundreds and hundreds of churches, monuments, and archaeological sites and museums, I’m never bored. Even after two decades of living in Rome every single day is a delight for me. There is always something to discover, explore, and rediscover, and my Rome experience flows into the palimpsest of the city. .
An excavation is a collaborative team effort as history. Arya works side by side with trained specialists and experts in their field such as forsensicsanthropologist Pier Paolo Petroni (shown) who helps put the pieces of history together. Courtesy of Darius Arya.
4 You were one of the first archaeologists to have an active voice on social media, and you won an award for it (2017 Periscoper of the Year). Will you share with us why social media is so important to archaeology, classical studies and architecture? Visual storytelling, an essential component of social media, is integral to archaeologist and historians. It brings the audience directly to the material culture.
This article first appeared in Traditional Building, March 2019.
