Italian Studies

Gretel Rodríguez is Assistant Professor in the Department of the History of Art and Architecture. She specializes in the art, architecture, and archaeology of ancient Rome. Her work investigates the relationship between art and society, exploring issues of viewership, reception, colonialism, and identity in relation to ancient visual culture. Her current book project explores the design and reception of Roman honorific architecture. Professor Rodríguez’s secondary specialization is in the art and architecture of ancient Mesoamerica. She has conducted research in Rome, the Bay of Naples, Southern France, and, in Palenque, Mexico. She is editor of Roman archaeology for the Database of Religious History (DRH), an international digital humanities initiative.