UNCA to Host Talk on Herod's Palace

UNC Asheville will host a talk on "Excavations at Herod’s Palace at Caesarea Marittima, Israel" at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 3, at UNCA’s Owen Conference Center. UNCA Adjunct Assistant Professor Laurel Taylor, who will present the talk, is the mosaic and fresco specialist for the excavations. The event is free and open to the public.

King Herod founded the city of Caesarea Marittima on the coast of ancient Palestine and built one of his palaces in the city. Taylor will focus on the general history of the palace from its beginnings as Herod’s private residence to its transformation into the seat of the Roman governors during the first century C.E. She will also examine the mosaic and fresco remains of the complex.

Taylor holds a doctorate in art and archaeology of the Mediterranean world from the University of Pennsylvania. She has also studied at the American Academy in Rome and the University of Siena, Italy. In addition to excavations at Caesarea Marittima, she has participated in fieldwork at Cetamura del Chianti, Italy, and at Biltmore Estate. Taylor has taught art, history and classics courses at Warren Wilson College, University of Pennsylvania, University of Delaware and Florida State University.

The talk is co-sponsored by UNCA’s Classics Department and the American Institute of Archaeology.

For more information, call Laurel Taylor, UNCA adjunct professor of classics, at 828/251-6290.

Media Contacts:

• Dr. Laurel Taylor, UNCA Adjunct Professor of Classics, 828/251-6290
• Jill Yarnall, UNCA Public Information Assistant Director, 828/251-6526