Bailey Benson

As an art historian and archaeologist, Bailey specializes in the material culture of the ancient Roman Empire, with a particular focus on the role of monuments in shaping cultural memory and identity. Her research is concerned with understanding how visual and textual representations, especially in the form of imperial portraiture, communicated political and social ideologies, and how these monuments functioned as vehicles for both personal and collective memory in the Roman world.

Currently, Bailey is completing her dissertation, “What’s in a Face?: Representation and Ideology in Roman Imperial Portraiture, 193-284 CE,” which investigates the relationship between memory and the imperial portrait monument. Her work explores how imperial portrait statues, especially those from the third century CE, served not only as representations of individual emperors but also as tools of political and social persuasion. During this period of intense transformation in the Roman Empire—marked by upheaval in political, social, economic, and military spheres—imperial portraiture became a dynamic medium for communicating imperial authority and identity. Using an interdisciplinary approach, her research draws from the fields of art history, archaeology, philology, philosophy, cognitive neuroscience, and spatial analysis. In particular, her dissertation examines the manipulations of the physiognomies in imperial portrait statues, considering how these changes reflect broader shifts in Roman memory practices and ideologies. Modern research in cognitive neuroscience has demonstrated that faces are central to human identity perception, a concept she applies to understand how the Roman public engaged with portrait statues as visual cues of imperial legitimacy. Through this lens, Bailey explores how imperial portraits were strategically designed to influence memory and perception, ensuring the emperor’s image would endure through generations.

In broader terms, Bailey’s dissertation addresses the larger question of how societies, including our own, use strategies to preserve memory. What narratives are worth remembering, and how are they shaped by those who wish to preserve them? By situating imperial portraiture within the context of Roman memory theories, her research contributes to a more nuanced understanding of how visual culture functioned in antiquity and the ways it interacted with Roman notions of time, legacy, and political authority. Her dissertation has been supported by a number of fellowships and grants, including the Graduate Research Abroad Fellowship (short- and long-term) from Boston University, the BU Arts Initiative Graduate Research Grant, the Lemmermann Foundation, and the Mark Mobius Student Research and Travel Endowment Fund.

Beyond her dissertation, Bailey’s research interests include the intersection of visual culture, memory, and identity in ancient and medieval Mediterranean societies, as well as the methodological challenges and opportunities presented by combining archaeological material, ancient texts, and modern cognitive science in the study of the past. In addition to her academic research, Bailey is an active museum professional, having worked with prominent institutions such as the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Tufts University Art Galleries, and the Princeton University Art Museum. In 2021, she served as the Stavros Niarchos Fellow in Classical Art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. She has also contributed to several archaeological excavations across the Mediterranean, including the Gabii Project (Italy), Azoria Project (Crete, Greece), Morgantina South Baths Project (Sicily, Italy), and the Omrit Excavation Project (Golan Heights, Israel). Additionally, Bailey has worked as a ceramics assistant for a study season with the French Excavation at Bi’r Samut (Dendara, Egypt).

2024-2025:
History of Art & Architecture Diversity & Inclusion Committee

2023-2024:
History of Art & Architecture Diversity & Inclusion Committee

2022-2023:
Social Media co-coordinator, Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association

2019-2020:
Graduate Symposium Coordinator, Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association
Senior Editor, SEQUITUR

2018-2019:
Guest Scholar Lecture Series Coordinator, Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association
Junior Editor, SEQUITUR

2017-2018:
Secretary, Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association

2016-2017:
Forum Coordinator, Graduate Student History of Art & Architecture Association

Research Interests:

• Roman art, architecture, and material culture
• Sculpture and Portraiture
• The relationship between visual culture and memory and identity studies

MA Paper:
“Munificence in the High Empire: The City Gate of Plancia Magna in Perge”

Dissertation [2025]:
“What’s in a Face? Reframing the Expressive Portraiture of Third-Century Roman Emperors” ^PDF