Robert Lindley Vann

Professor Emeritus Robert Lindley Vann is a distinguished educator in architectural history, alternating with other faculty in teaching basic survey classes and offering advanced courses in Greek, Roman, Islamic, and Pre-Columbian architecture. Since 1995, he has developed an elective survey class on non-western architecture, drawing from extensive travel and research in South Asia, Oceania, Central and South America, and the Islamic world. This course is one of the few of its kind in the country. In addition to his survey classes, Professor Vann offers seminars on topics such as the city in the classical world, Pompeii, and Roman entertainment architecture. His archaeological fieldwork includes excavations at Sardis, Carthage, Humeima, and Sigiriya. He co-directed underwater excavations at Caesarea and has directed the University of Maryland Survey of Ancient Harbors in Turkey since 1991. He also co-directed a project in Pompeii and will begin a new project at Stabia. Professor Vann actively involves students in fieldwork and offers travel opportunities to destinations like Mexico, Peru, Vietnam, and Cambodia. His upcoming trip is to Thailand and Myanmar. He lectures widely, having presented his research at various universities and conferences, and was named the Ahmanson Lecturer for the AIA. Professor Vann is the author of "The Unexcavated Buildings of Sardis" and editor of "Caesarea Papers." He has published numerous articles in prestigious journals and his recent work focuses on the baths and churches at Aperlae and fortifications in the eastern Mediterranean during the Byzantine period.

Education:

PhD, Cornell University

Bachelor of Science, University of Texas