Dr. Mara Mcniff

Biography

Mara McNiff came to the University of Texas in 2019, receiving a BA in Italian Literature and Art History from the University of Washington and her MA in the study of Ancient Art and Archaeology from the University of Arizona. She has a strong interest in archaeology and ancient Mediterranean religion, having participated in excavations at the Catacombs of St. Lucy (2014-2015), Selinunte (2022), and the Sanctuary of Zeus at Mt. Lykaion (2018) in Greece. During the 2021-2022 academic year, Mara was a Regular Member of the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, where she was awarded the John Williams White Fellowship. In the 2022-2023 academic year, she continued her research in Sicily and Greece as an associate member of the American School, supported by a UT Graduate Continuing Fellowship. Currently, she holds an assistant instructor position at the University of Texas, teaching a survey course on Renaissance and (Post) Modern art. Her dissertation reconstructs the religious development and convergence of Greek-Punic settlements in Western Sicily from the 8th to the 4th centuries BCE, titled: “A Tale of Borderlands: Religious Development and Identity Negotiation in Selinus and Motya.”

Research Interests

Experience