Jon Frey
- (He/Him)
- freyjona@msu.edu
- 320 Kresge Art Center
- Associate Professor
- Art, Art History and Design
Biography
Jon Frey received his BA in Ancient History and Classics from the Ohio State University and his MA and PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. He is a classical archaeologist specializing in Greek and Roman architecture, with a particular interest in the reuse of buildings and materials. While the majority of his fieldwork experience is in the area of Greece known as the Corinthia, over the past two decades he has also worked in Egypt and on the islands of Crete and Kythera. As the Director of the Michigan State University Excavations at Isthmia, he leads a team of researchers engaged in the use of digital tools to explore and publish the evidence about the ancient world contained in archaeological archives.
He is author of Spolia in Fortifications and the Role of the Common Builder in Late Antiquity (2015), co-editor (with Rubina Raja) of Trends in Archive Archaeology: Current Research on Archival Material from Fieldwork and its Implications for Archaeological Practice (2024) and the recipient of grants from the NEH and the White Levy Foundation.
Each summer, Prof. Frey co-leads study abroad programs in Greece that combine archaeological study with art and design.
Works
Publications:
Spolia in Fortifications and the Common Builder in Late Antiquity Mnemosyne Supplements – History and Archaeology of Classical Antiquity (Brill, 2015)
“Reused columns in an ancient circular economy.” In Irene Bavuso, Guido Furlan, Emanuele Intagliata and Julia Steding, eds. Economic Circularity in the Roman and Early Medieval Worlds: New Perspectives on Invisible Agents and Deynamics (Oxbow, 2023)
“The Challenge of Spatial Ambiguity in Geographic Information Systems Using Legacy Archaeological Records.” In Rubina Raja, ed. Archive Archaeology 4: Shaping Archaeological Archives: Dialogues between Fieldwork, Museum Collection, and Private Archives (Brepols, 2023)
“Boats, Burials, and Beehives: Seeking the Subaltern in the Fortifications at Isthmia, Greece.” In Jessica L. Nitschke and Marta Lorenzon, eds. Postcolonialism, Heritage, and the Built Environment: New Approaches to Architecture in Archaeology (Springer: Briefs in Archaeology, 2021)
Curated Exhibitions:
In Exchange for the Fire: MSU Union Gallery, 2023
A Passed Present / A Present Past: MSU Union Gallery, 2024
The Gregory Archive: Isthmia Archaeological Museum, 2025.
College of Arts & Letters News
- MSU Excavations at Isthmia to Use Radio Wave Tracking for Its CollectionCollege of Arts & Letters
October 11, 2023The MSU Excavations at Isthmia, led by Jon Frey, Associate Professor in the Department of Art, Art History, and Design, will soon become one of the first archeological sites in Greece to use Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) to digitally track its collection. RFID is a […] Read Now →
- Exhibition Features Work by Ceramic Arts in Greece Study Abroad StudentsCollege of Arts & Letters
October 11, 2023Inspired by the culture and history of Greece and the many ancient artifacts at the MSU Excavations at Isthmia, the Michigan State University students who were part of the 2023 Ceramic Arts in Greece Study Abroad used this experience to create their own works of art, which are […] Read Now →
- Exhibit Explores MSU’s Archaeological Excavations in GreeceCollege of Arts & Letters
January 20, 2022The current exhibit at the MSU Union Art Gallery captures the excitement and visual appeal of archaeological research while exploring “The Art of Archaeology.” The 27 black and white images that make up the exhibit were all taken at the MSU Excavations at Isthmia in Greece […] Read Now →
- MSU Leading Digitized Archeology Project in GreeceCollege of Arts & Letters
July 29, 2021His work is a little bit retro, a little bit modern, and all things classical. As the new Director of the MSU Excavations at Isthmia in Greece, Associate Professor Jon Frey has dug deep into content to create a new website for the decades-old archaeology project. In fall 2020, […] Read Now →
- Digitizing Discoveries: Classical Studies Professor to Lead Legacy Dig in Ancient GreeceCollege of Arts & Letters
December 9, 2020Jon Frey first encountered archaeology at the site of Isthmia in Greece in 1993 as a study abroad student. He has since returned almost every year to the same ancient excavation. Now a classical archaeologist and Associate Professor of Classical Studies in the Department of Art, […] Read Now →
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