Professor shares knowledge on power, kinship and warfare

The people of Etruria were a dominant civilization during the mid-600s B.C.

Hilary Becker, assistant professor of classics at Davidson University and world-renowned scholar of the Etruscans, spoke to a near-capacity Bryant Hall auditorium on Friday night about the lives of the Etruscan people.

Throughout the lecture, Becker shared a plethora of photographs of Etruscan tombs, stone engravings and ancient helmets and shields. Becker enlightened her audience about the design trends of shield devices and her hypothesis on why different shields had different designs.

Becker combined religious studies, archeology and even chemistry to truly study the Etruscan civilization and rituals, something rare for most historians.

She has dedicated her studies and attention to Etruria, a region in central Italy, 650 B.C, now known as Tuscany, Latium, Emilia-Romagna and Umbria.

“All the different facts are clear and interesting, but to be able to gather them and tie them back together to create a larger narrative is what she did,” said classics professor Brad Cook. “She did it in a very clear and straightforward manner.”

Becker’s research consists of a combination of various studies that help her truly understand the Etruscans.

“No archeologist knows all that they need,” she said. “But I might make some chemistry friends.”

Latin professor Aileen Ajoutian organized the event. Ajoutian said she encourages her students to attend these lectures and sometimes gives them extra credit for attending.

“It’s a very enriching environment,” she said. “It’s part of the opportunity to learn at the University of Mississippi.”

A graduate from Bryn Mawr College and North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Becker is also a co-editor of “Votives, Places and Rituals in Etruscan Religion.” She also works at the Saint Ombono church in Rome on occasion.

Another lecture will take place tonight at Bryant Hall at 7:30 p.m. The lecture will be three students sharing their study abroad experiences.