UT Austin Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICA)

The UT Austin Institute of Classical Archaeology (ICA) is a renowned research unit within the College of Liberal Arts at the University of Texas, Austin. Established in 1978, ICA conducts multi-disciplinary archaeological research projects in the agricultural hinterlands of ancient Greek colonies in southern Italy and on the Black Sea coast of Ukraine.

With support from public and private sources, ICA has developed long-term projects to explore the rural populations of Metaponto and Croton in Italy, as well as Chersonesos in Crimea, Ukraine. Collaborating with the Archaeological Superintendencies of Calabria and Basilicata, as well as the National Preserve of Tauric Chersonesos at Sevastopol, ICA has gained international recognition for its research and publications on the ancient countryside in the Greek and Roman world.

One of ICA's notable projects includes the excavation and documentation of the Greek sanctuary at Pantanello, the first fully excavated and documented Greek rural sanctuary in southern Italy. This site offers invaluable insights into the development of extra-urban cults in Magna Graecia from the seventh to the fourth centuries BC, as well as the initiation rites that took place within these cults.

Located at 3925 West Braker Lane in Austin, Texas, the UT Austin Institute of Classical Archaeology is a leader in the study of ancient civilizations and their rural landscapes, providing a unique perspective on the cultural and religious practices of the past.