Projects
Frischer's research career reflects his interest in interdisciplinary approaches and has included studies in the literature, philosophy, art history and archeology of Greece and Rome. He is the author or co-author of six books, including Shifting Paradigms: New Approaches to Horace's Ars Poetica (1990), Allan Ramsay and the Search for Horace's Villa (2001), The Sculpted Word: Epicureanism and Philosophical Recruitment (print edition, 1982; revised e-book, 2006), and Beyond Illustration: 2D and 3D Technologies as Tools for Discovery in Archaeology (2008). From 1997 to 2003, Frischer has directed the excavations of Horace's Villa, a project sponsored by the American Academy in Rome and the Archeological Superintendency for Lazio of the Italian Ministry of Culture. He co-edited and made major contributions to the two-volume final report, published by ArchaeoPress (Oxford) in 2007.
Since the early 1980s, Frischer has also been actively involved in the new field of digital humanities. In 1985, he received a grant from the Getty Trust to create the world's first remotely accessible library of Greek and Latin texts. At a conference held at Apple Computer in 1986, he gave a paper (published in 1988) in which he proposed creation of a digital model of ancient Rome. The first version of the model, known as "Rome Reborn," was publicly exhibited in 2007. In the 1990s, Frischer published a series of papers applying stylometrics to problems of Greek and Latin literary prose. In recent years, he has directed or co-directed projects to publish to the Internet a high resolution image of the Monastic Plan of St. Gall; and to create 3D models of sites such as Port Royal (Jamaica), Santiago de Compostela (Spain), and Colonial Williamsburg (Virginia, USA).
Current Research
ROME REBORN: Frischer directs this collaborative research project between the Universities of Virginia, UCLA, the University of Bordeaux-3, the University of Caen, and the Politecnico di Milano. The goal is to create 3D digital models illustrating the urban evolution of Rome from the first settlements in the late Bronze Age (ca. 1000 BCE) to the depopulation in the city in the middle of the sixth century CE. The present focus of research is Rome Reborn 2.0, a model of the city as it appeared in 320 CE. For more information, see www.romereborn.virginia.edu.
SAVE: This NSF-sponsored project foresees the creation of a database of 3D digital models of cultural heritage sites, monuments, and landscapes. SAVE (an acronym standing for "Serving and Archiving Virtual Environments") will offer creators of models an outlet for peer-reviewed scholarly publication, long-term preservation and maintenance, and secure distribution of their work to end-users. For users, SAVE will offer one-stop shopping for a wide range of scientifically produced and authenticated 3D models of the world's cultural heritage. For more information see www3.iath.virginia.edu/save/.
HADRIAN'S VILLA: This project will result in a new 3D digital model of the entire site of the imperial villa of the Emperor Hadrian (ruled: 117-138 CE).
Last updated: July 25, 2009