Studying the Past to Build the Future
Dr. Marie Nicole Pareja
Dr. Marie Nicole Pareja is a Bronze Age archaeologist, anthropologist, and art historian. Nikki earned her BA from Indiana University - Bloomington in 2009, spent a year studying ancient languages at the University of Pennsylvania, and finished both her MA (2013) and PhD (2015) at Temple University. She has been teaching university-level courses since 2010, and she genuinely loves spending time with students both in the classroom and in the field. In summer, most of her fieldwork takes place in the Greek islands, but she also works on the Mainland. She specializes in materials analysis, Bronze Age plasters, iconographic studies, population movements, and exchange. She is particularly interested in topics related to identity, gender and sexuality, systems collapse, and prehistoric and ancient religions. Nikki serves as founder and director of severaI archaeological projects, including Plasters Analysis Project out of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, the Bronze Age Indus-Aegean Research Network (together with Robert Arnott) out of University of Oxford, as well as ABASI. As Executive Director of (ABASI), she is passionate about helping students travel for an immersive education in the field.
Gillian Gurney
Gilian Gurney earned her BA in Interactive and Graphic Design at Millersville University, where she worked as a Graphic Designer for the Communication and Marketing Department. Her interests within the field are visual storytelling and animation. She has been writing stories for years, and now she has learned, practiced, and studied the ways to turn her dreams into reality. She also plans to expand her own brand as an artist. She is currently working towards creating an introductory piece, Fishbowls, Bowties, & Diamonds as an author and comic book artist that will act as a networking piece for those in the industry. Gillian Gurney (@gillsthefish0808) • Instagram photos and videos • Gillian Gurney (myportfolio.com)
Dr. Angela M. Ratigan
Dr. Angela M. Ratigan is a Bronze Age archaeologist and art historian with an interest in virtual recreation and data visualization. Angela earned her BA in 2013 and MA in 2015 from Indiana University - Bloomington, and completed her doctorate at Karls-Ruprecht Universitat Heidelberg in 2023. Of her varied professional experiences, she is most proud of the two years she spent teaching Advanced Placement Art History in Manhattan. Her archaeological experience spans 12 years and includes three field seasons at Gournia and seven seasons as registrar, small-finds cataloger, and office manager at Mochlos. As ABASI’s digital content manager, she is proud to be part of an organization that addresses discipline-wide disparities, barriers to entry, and the hidden curriculum that stands in the way of young scholars joining the field. Julia Wanner
Julia Wanner graduated from Penn State in 2021 with a BA in Humanities, specializing in Art History. After graduating, she began her professional career dedicated to supporting non-profits with her disciplines in digital marketing, graphic design and communications. Julia has been an active artist for her entire life, earning her publications and awards to honor her talents. She continues to pursure er passion for creating physical artwork alongside her professional endeavors. As an ardent advocate for social and political issues and a committed humanitarian, Julia is excited to contribute to ABASI, an organization whose values closely mirror her own.The mission of the Aegean Bronze Age Study Initiative is to support student experiences and learning in the excavation, research, analysis, and publication of material finds and theories related to the prehistoric and Bronze Age Aegean, focusing specifically on the Aegean island cultures and those associated with them.
Dr. Marie N. Pareja established ABASI after teaching and conducting research at a variety of different types of institutions. From ivies to state schools, small liberal arts colleges to museums, her courses in art history, anthropology, and archaeology often overflowed with students eager to study the ancient world, and yet so few of those students -- despite vocalizing their passion -- secured positions at field schools, on excavations, and other research projects. This was particularly the case in the Aegean and broader Mediterranean. Although work in these regions is admittedly competitive, colleagues often lament the lack of dedicated undergraduate interest and involvement. If students want to dig so badly, why weren't they doing it?
This initiative, established in 2022, seeks to highlight and work to amend long-overlooked aspects of archaeological work in Afro-Eurasia, particularly accessibility and equity. Traditional models of student engagement in summer research and excavation include high-cost field schools that last for 6-10 weeks, together with the cost of Trans-Atlantic flights, local transportation, room and board, and equipment. Too often, underprivileged and underrepresented students are prohibited from pursuing a career in archaeology due in large part to financial limitations. After all, one cannot work full-time during the summer and attend field school overseas.
There is a traditional culling of interested undergraduates at this point, due in large part to financial limitations.
The few students who cobble together adequate funding (from a variety of sources with quite small awards) to travel abroad and excavate, often search for the least (financially, temporally, and otherwise) demanding options. As a consequence, they do not obtain in-depth one-on-one training from top specialists in their particular field of interest. Moreover, these students remain stressed throughout the entire experience, nickel-and-diming their way to their last week on site. It is worth noting here that a highly stressed person does not learn as well as someone who feels secure and supported. This is where ABASI comes in.
To level the playing field, ABASI seeks to fund undergraduate students with a penchant for the prehistoric and Bronze Age Aegean and/or related fields. Preference will be given to those from underprivileged backgrounds whose identities are underrepresented in traditional Bronze Age Aegean scholarship. By funding the education and experiences of undergraduates whose voices and perspectives are not yet heard in this field, ABASI works together with the student to ensure the creation of a place for them in graduate school and the broader field. At its core, this initiative seeks to contribute to addressing, engaging, and dispelling fiscal matters of inequity and inaccessibility at an early, critical point in the development of young scholars and their careers.
ABASI also continues to support these young scholars beyond the field, as they continue honing research, presentation, and publication skills. As such, they are encouraged to persist in these projects by presenting their research at professional conferences and workshops, refining their methodologies, approaches, and theories, until finally sharing their work as a professional, peer-reviewed academic publication.
Public outreach is a critical facet of archaeological responsibility, and as such, recipients of ABASI awards are expected to engage in some of the initiative’s outreach projects, including but not limited to visiting grade schools (elementary, middle, and high schools); participating in ABASI sponsored conferences and workshops that are available to the general public; and serving as mentors to the next generation of ABASI scholars.
Please click here to view ABASI Bylaws.
Current Board Members: Marie N. Pareja, Douglas A. Morrow, and Amanda K. Pavlik.