Rate My Professor Cynthia Finlayson

Cynthia Finlayson served as Associate Professor in the Department of Anthropology at Brigham Young University, where she taught courses in Mediterranean Basin, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Islamic archaeology and ethnography, as well as undergraduate museum studies and M.A.-level museum certificate programs. She earned her B.A. with honors in Social Science/World History from George Washington University in 1974, an M.S.S. in Interdisciplinary Near Eastern Anthropology/Archaeology and Museum Studies from the same institution in 1984, and a Ph.D. in Classical and Ancient Art History and Archaeology, with emphases in the Eastern Mediterranean Basin, Islamic Art History and Archaeology, and Native American Indian Art History and Archaeology, from the University of Iowa in 1998. Her dissertation, 'Veil, Turban, and Headpiece: Funerary Portraits and Female Status at Palmyra, Syria,' examined gender and portraiture in ancient Syria. Prior to her associate professorship starting in 2008, she held positions as Assistant Professor and Visiting Assistant Professor in the Department of Visual Arts at BYU from 1999 to 2008, focusing on ancient and classical art history and curatorial studies.

Finlayson's research centers on archaeological site conservation, cultural heritage management, Nabataean and Palmyrene studies, caravan cities, and Islamic art and architecture. She directed field schools in Syria and Jordan and led the Ad-Deir Monument and Plateau Project at Petra, Jordan—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—since 2013, managing excavations, restoration of Nabataean water structures, GPS surveys, and the MEGA geo-database for the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. She was the first female Near Eastern archaeologist to direct major expeditions at two UNESCO sites: Palmyra and Petra. Key publications include the books Explorations in the Azem Palace: A Museum Guidebook (Damascus: Syrian Department of Antiquities, 2010) and co-authored student guides on Islamic and Damascene art; peer-reviewed articles such as 'New Excavations and a Re-examination of the Great Roman Theater at Apamea, Syria, Seasons I–III (2008–2010)' in the American Journal of Archaeology (2012), multiple Petra project reports in American Journal of Archaeology and ACOR Archaeology in Jordan, and 'Behind the Arabesque: Understanding Islamic Art and Architecture' in BYU Studies (2002). She curated exhibitions like 'Return to Bethlehem: A Cultural Pilgrimage' at the BYU Museum of Peoples and Cultures (2018–2019) and secured substantial grants from LDS Philanthropies, the David M. Kennedy Center, and BYU departments totaling over $700,000 for her Petra project.