Cetamura Day showcases new research by 2024 Reckford Research Fellows

Seven Florida State University students who conducted research at the Cetamura del Chianti archaeological site in Italy presented their findings during the 2024 Cetamura Day Conference in Tallahassee.

The conference, held early this fall, spotlighted the first cohort of Reckford Research Fellows, whose work was made possible by a $1 million gift to the Department of Classics by Charlotte Orth Reckford in honor of her late husband and Langford Eminent Scholar Professor Emeritus Kenneth J. Reckford.

The Orth Reckford Classics Fund for Research and Archives supports student research that combines science and the humanities and creates opportunities for students to gain curatorial, conservator and museum experience in the U.S. and abroad via the Archaeology in Tuscany program administered through FSU International Programs at Cetamura del Chianti.

“The incredibly generous donation from Charlotte Orth Reckford has transformed the research agenda at Cetamura after 50 years of excavation and has provided rare archaeological experiences for FSU students,” said Nancy DeGrummond, Distinguished Research Professor in the Department of Classics and Director of Excavations and Research at Cetamura since 1983.

FSU students started excavating the site in 1973 after the FSU Florence Program obtained a permit from the Italian government. Excavations have unearthed materials ranging from waterlogged grape seeds to the remains of a Roman bath. The unique artifacts and buildings uncovered span three distinct periods: Etruscan, Roman and Italian medieval. Students can take courses examining a variety of approaches to archaeology in the field, the lab and the museum.

The program has provided hundreds of students with exclusive opportunities to participate in excavation, preservation work and the construction of exhibitions. FSU recently celebrated 50 years of archaeological excavations at Cetamura with the inauguration of the Civic Museum at the Origins of Chianti in Gaiole during the summer of 2023. The museum features spectacular archaeological discoveries from 50 years of excavations at Cetamura by FSU.

“Charlotte Orth Reckford’s generous donation has already funded important work at Cetamura and will continue to provide opportunities for our students to carry out research in Italy and beyond,” said Tim Stover, chair of the Department of Classics. “The donation’s impact on our department cannot be overstated. The research will give students invaluable experience and enrich our understanding of ancient Italy.”

From ancient grape seed DNA to the study of faunal remains and a catalog of stamped pottery, the fellows presented a variety of research throughout the day about their findings while at the Cetamura del Chianti Excavation and Research site. The daylong event also included presentations by DeGrummond, Stover and Lora Holland Goldthwaite, Reckford Senior Research Fellow and a professor at the University of North Carolina Asheville and longtime Cetamura collaborator.

The 2024 Reckford Research Fellows are Illeana Sanders, Hudson Kauffman, Elisa Moscone, Jackson Cheplick, Holly Piper, Eve Rozier and Reckford Digital Scholar David Picker-Kille.

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