David Soren

David Soren is Regents Professor of Anthropology and Classics at The University of Arizona. He holds a B.A. in Greek and Roman Studies from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in Fine Arts from Harvard University, and a Ph.D. in Classical Archaeology from Harvard University. From 1972 to 1982, he served as Professor and Department Head at the University of Missouri-Columbia. In 1982, he joined the University of Arizona as Professor and Department Head, later becoming Regents Professor. He founded and directed the Orvieto Study Abroad Program, the university's largest overseas program, and serves as Director Emeritus of the Orvieto Institute in Umbria, Italy. Soren is Principal Investigator and Founder of the Lugnano in Teverina Excavation and Malaria Study Program, and Editor Emeritus of Etruscan Studies, the official journal of the Etruscan Foundation. He was also a Resident of the American Academy in Rome and Program Director Emeritus of the University of Arizona's Humanities Seminars Program.

Soren's academic interests encompass Roman and Etruscan archaeology, field excavation in Tuscany, Roman architecture, Greek and Roman sculpture, Hollywood cinema, vaudeville, tap dancing, and popular culture of the early 20th century. He has directed archaeological excavations at Kourion in Cyprus, Troia in Portugal, Carthage in Tunisia, Mezzomiglio at Chianciano Terme in Tuscany (the largest known ancient cold-water spa in Italy), Populonia, Orvieto, and Lugnano in Teverina (a Roman villa and infant cemetery associated with malaria). Key publications include Carthage (Simon & Schuster, 1990; W.W. Norton, 1987), Kourion: The Search for a Lost Roman City (Doubleday, 1988), Archaeological Excavations at Lugnano in Teverina, Italy (L'Erma Bretschneider, 2001), An Ancient Roman Spa at Mezzomiglio, Chianciano Terme, Tuscany (British Archaeological Reports, 2007 and 2010), and Art, Popular Culture and the Classical Ideal in the 1930s (Marquee Press, 2011). Honors include the 2018 Archaeological Institute of America Teacher of the Year Award, Fellow of Great Britain's Royal Institute of International Affairs, Fellow of the Johns Hopkins Schools of Advanced International Research, Rosone d'argento (Silver Rose), honorary Italian citizenship, and a new olive strain named after him by the Italian government. Documentaries featuring his work have aired on BBC, National Geographic, and The Learning Channel.