BRANDON R.

OLSON
9548 West 75th Place
Arvada, CO 80005
720-273-3112
brando@bu.edu
www.theclassicalarchaeologist.com
EDUCATION
Boston University
Ph.D. Candidate in Archaeology (ABD status; Degree expected January 2015)
Advisor: Christopher Roosevelt
Ph.D. Thesis: From Issus to Rhosus: The Interplay between Imperial Dynamics and Socioeconomic
Prosperity in the Hellenistic Countryside
The Pennsylvania State University
2009 Master of Arts with Honors in History/Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Advisor: Garrett Fagan
Thesis Papers: Adding Insult to Injury: The Glandes Perusinae as a Unique Discourse of Violence
New Thoughts on the Battle of Issus: a Historical Assessment and an Archaeological Proposal
University of North Dakota
2007 Master of Arts in History with an emphasis in Ancient History
Advisor: William Caraher
Thesis: Commemoration Practices of the Roman Soldier
University of Sheffield
2004 Master of Arts in European Historical Archaeology
Advisor: Maureen Carroll
Thesis: Ownership and Identity through Inscriptions on Roman Military Equipment
Fort Lewis College
2003 Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology with an emphasis in Archaeology
Advisors: Philip Duke and Susan Riches
ACADEMIC APPOINTMENTS AND TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Adjunct Lecturer, Tufts University, 2012-2014
Courses taught: Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems (NUTR 231 [graduate level
course]; Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014)
Lecturer, The Pennsylvania State University, Summers 2010-2012
Taught GIS for Archaeologists (CAMS/ANTH 499B; 2010); Excavation, Survey, and GIS for
Archaeologists (CAMS/HIST/RLST/ANTH 499; 2011); and Excavation, Survey, and GIS for
Archaeologists (CAMS/ANTH/JST 499; 2012).
Editorial Assistant, Journal of Field Archaeology, 2012-2014
Editor, Book Reviews, Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies,
2012-present
Editorial Board Member, The Levantine Ceramics Project (http://www.levantineceramics.org/),
2013-present

Olson CV

Teaching Fellow, Boston University, August 2011January 2012

Served as a teaching fellow for Great Discoveries in Archaeology (AR 100; Fall 2011).
Responsibilities included leading discussion sections, writing and grading assignments and
exams, and occasional lecturing.
Teaching Assistant, The Pennsylvania State University, 2007-2010
Served as a teaching assistant for Introduction to Geospatial Science in Anthropology and
Archaeology (ANTH 421; Spring 2010); Egyptian Civilization (CAMS 020; Spring 2010, Spring
2008, and Fall 2007); Ancient Greece (CAMS/HIST 100; Fall 2009); GIS for Archaeologists
(ANTH 499: Summer 2009); Ancient Near Eastern and Egyptian Mythology (CAMS/RLST 44;
Spring 2009); and Classical Mythology (CAMS 45; Fall 2008). Responsibilities included leading
discussion sections, writing and grading assignments and exams, and occasional lecturing.
Graduate Research Assistant, University of North Dakota, January 2007-August 2007
Served as a research assistant for Prof. William Caraher. Primary responsibilities included
providing the first round of copy edits for Caraher, W.R., L. Hall, and R.S. Moore, Archaeology
and History in Roman, Medieval and Post-Medieval Greece (Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2008).
Graduate Teaching Assistant, University of North Dakota, January 2006-January 2007
Served as a teaching assistant for History of North Dakota (HIST 201). Responsibilities included
leading discussion sections, writing and grading assignments and exams, and occasional
lecturing.
PUBLICATIONS
Edited Volumes
Caraher, W. R., and B. R. Olson, eds. forthcoming. Visions of Substance: Recent Reflections on 3D
Imaging in Mediterranean Archaeology. Grand Forks, ND: The Digital Press at the University of North
Dakota.
Articles in Peer-Reviewed Journals
Olson, B. R., and T. Najbjerg. In press. A Deposit of Scythian Type Arrowheads from Polis
Chrysochous (ancient Arsinoe), Report of the Department of Antiquities Cyprus.
Olson, B. R., J. M. Gordon, C. Runnels, S. Chomyszak. 2014. Experimental Three-Dimensional Printing
of a Lower Palaeolithic Handaxe: An Assessment of the Technology and Analytical Value, Lithic
Technology 39: 162-172.
Quartermaine, J., B. R. Olson, and A. E. Killebrew. 2014. Image-Based Modeling Approaches to 2D and
3D Digital Drafting in Archaeology at Tel Akko and Qasrin, Two Case Studies, Journal of Eastern
Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies 2.2: 110-127.
Olson, B. R., R. A. Placchetti, J. Quartermaine, and A. E. Killebrew. 2013. The Tel Akko Total
Archaeology Project (Akko, Israel): Assessing the Suitability of Multi-Scale 3D Field Recording in
Archaeology, Journal of Field Archaeology 38.3: 244-262.
Caraher, W., R. S. Moore, B. R. Olson, and A. Papalexandrou. 2013. The South Basilica at Arsinoe
(POLIS-TES-CHRYSOCHOU): Change and Innovation in an Early Christian Basilica on Cyprus,
Cahiers de Centre dtudes Chypriotes 43: 79-92.

Olson CV
Olson, B. R., W. R. Caraher, D. K. Pettegrew, R. S. Moore. 2013. The Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological
Project: A Preliminary Report on Excavations at Pyla-Vigla, A Fortified Settlement Dating to the
Hellenistic Era, Journal of Ancient Egyptian Interconnections 5.3: 74-82.
Quartermaine, J., B. R. Olson, and M. Howland. 2013. Using Photogrammetry and Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) to Draft Accurate Plans of Qazion, Journal of Eastern Mediterranean
Archaeology and Heritage Studies 1: 169-174.
Olson, B. R. 2013 Roman Infantry Helmets and Commemoration among Soldiers, Vulcan 1: 1-17.
Olson, B. R., and A. E. Killebrew. 2011. A Latin Graffito on a Recently Discovered Eastern Sigillata A
Sherd from Dalbaz Hyk, Bay of skenderun, Turkey, Near Eastern Archaeology 74.2: 116-119.
Book Chapters
Olson, B. R., and R. A. Placchetti. forthcoming. A Discussion of the Analytical Benefits of Image-Based
Modeling in Archaeology, in W. R. Caraher and B. R. Olson, eds. Visions of Substance: Recent
Reflections on 3D Imaging in Mediterranean Archaeology. Grand Forks, ND: The Digital Press at the
University of North Dakota.
Olson, B. R., J. M. Gordon, C. Runnels, and S. Chomyszak. forthcoming. Bringing the Past into the
Present: Digital Archaeology Meets Mechanical Engineering, in W. R. Caraher and B. R. Olson, eds.
Visions of Substance: Recent Reflections on 3D Imaging in Mediterranean Archaeology. Grand Forks,
ND: The Digital Press at the University of North Dakota.
Olson, B. R. 2014. A Contextual and Epigraphic Analysis of the Inscribed Glandes (Sling Bullets), in
Pyla-Koutsopetria I: Archaeological Survey of an Ancient Coastal Town, American Schools of Oriental
Reseach Archaeological Reports 21, W. Caraher, R.S. Moore, and D. Pettegrew (eds), Boston: American
Schools of Oriental Research, 155-163.
Moore, R. S., and B. R. Olson. 2014. Catalogue of Finds, in Pyla-Koutsopetria I: Archaeological
Survey of an Ancient Coastal Town, American Schools of Oriental Reseach Archaeological Reports 21,
W. Caraher, R.S. Moore, and D. Pettegrew (eds), Boston: American Schools of Oriental Research, 69150.
Moore, R. S., and B. R. Olson. 2014. The Cypro-Classical through Roman Pottery, in Polis Pyrgos
Archaeological Project II: Post-Prehistoric Ceramics and Chalcolithic to Iron Age Ground Stone
Artefacts from the Field Survey in Northern Cyprus, 1992-1999, D. Maliszewski (ed). Warsaw: Creator
Publishing House, 49-96.
Moore, R.S., and B. R. Olson. 2012. Red-Slip Plate and Roman Gladiator Lamp, in City of Gold: The
Archaeology of Polis Chrysochous, Cyprus, W.A.P Childs, J.S. Smith, and J.M. Padgett (eds), Princeton:
Princeton University Art Museum: 82 and 92.
Olson, B. R. 2011. Tantus Facinus: Sallust and the Morality of Lucius Sergius Catilina, in S. Walker
and W. Caraher eds., In the Classical Tradition: Essays in Honor of Daniel Erickson, North Dakota: The
Authors: 23-27.
Conference Proceedings
Killebrew, A. E., and B. R. Olson. 2014. The Tel Akko Total Archaeology Project:
New Frontiers in the Excavation and 3D Documentation of the Past, in Piotr Bielinski, Michal
Gawlikowski, Rafal Kolinski, Dorota Lawecka, Arkadiusz Soltysiak, and Zuzanna Wygnanska, eds.,
3

Olson CV
Proceedings of the 8th International Congress on the Archaeology of the Ancient Near East. Wiesbaden:
Harrassowitz, 559574.
Online Publications
Olson, B. R. 2013. Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project: Survey Units, in Pyla-Koutsopetria
Archaeological Project, W. R. Caraher (ed), Open Context: http://opencontext.org/projects/3F6DCD13A476-488E-ED10-47D25513FCB2
Olson, B. R. 2011. The Dedication of Roman Weapons and Armor in Water as a Religious Ritual,
Popular Archaeology Magazine 3: http://popular-archaeology.com/issue/june-2011/article/the-dedicationof-roman-weapons-and-armor-in-water-as-a-religious-ritual
SCHOLARSHIPS, FELLOWSHIPS, AND AWARDS
2014 Harris Grant
American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR)
2013 (fall) Chad DiGregorio Grant-in-Aid Fund
Department of Archaeology, Boston University
2013 Graduate Research Abroad Fellowship
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences and the Humanities Foundation, Boston University
2013 (spring) Chad DiGregorio Grant-in-Aid Fund
Department of Archaeology, Boston University
2012-2014 Chad Di Gregorio Journal of Field Archaeology Editorial Fellowship
Journal of Field Archaeology
2012 Graduate Scholarship
Department of Archaeology, Boston University (respectfully declined award)
2011 Teaching Fellowship
Department of Archaeology, Boston University
2011 Heritage Fellowship
American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR)
2010 Overseas Research Fellowship
University of Nottingham (respectfully declined award)
2010 Goldstein Program in Jewish Studies Scholarship
Department of Jewish Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
2010 Biblical Archaeology Society Dig Scholarship
Biblical Archaeology Society (BAS)
2010 Best Graduate Student Poster
111th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America
2010 Archaeological Institute of America Conference Travel Grant
Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)
4

Olson CV

2009 Heritage Fellowship

American Schools of Oriental Research (ASOR)
2009 Robert G. Price Program Award in Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies
Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
2009 Knoppers Classics & Ancient Mediterranean Studies Endowment
Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
2009 Global Programs Scholarship
The Pennsylvania State University
2009 Study Abroad Grant-in-Aid Scholarship
The Pennsylvania State University
2009 Archaeological Institute of America Conference Travel Grant
Archaeological Institute of America (AIA)
2008 Isabel Knight Award
Department of History, The Pennsylvania State University
2007 Richard W. and June R. Duffine Program Endowment
Department of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies, The Pennsylvania State University
2007 John G. Arneberg Scholarship
College of Arts and Sciences, University of North Dakota
2006 Neil MacDonald Scholarship
Department of History, University of North Dakota
ARCHAEOLOGICAL FIELDWORK AND PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project (Larnaca, Cyprus)
2006-Present
Positions Held: Field Director (2012-present), Team Leader (Survey, 2007-2008), Trench Supervisor
(Excavation, 2008-2012), and Ceramicist (Hellenistic and Early Roman wares)
Polis Chrysochous Excavations (Polis, Cyprus)
2010-Present
Positions Held: Projectiles and Ceramicist (Hellenistic and Early Roman wares)
Kaymaki Archaeological Project (Tekeliolu, Turkey)
2014
Position Held: 3D modeling and GIS consultant
The Plakias Stone Age Project (Plakias, Crete)
2013-2014
Position Hold: 3D modeling consultant

Olson CV
Mopsos Survey Project (Bay of Iskenderun, Turkey)
2008-2013
Positions Held: Ceramicist (Classical periods, 2008-2013), GIS Coordinator (2010-2013)
Tel Akko Excavations (Akko, Israel)
2010-2012
Positions Held: Area Supervisor (Excavation, 2010-2012), GIS Coordinator (2010-2012)
Homestead Project (Northwestern Minnesota)
June- August 2004
Position Held: Trench Supervisor (Excavation)
Beauchief Abbey Field Work (Sheffield, England)
January 2004
Position Held: Geophysical Technician
Hawley Collection (University of Sheffield, England)
September - December 2003
Position Held: Intern
Fort Lewis College Archaeological Field School (Durango, Colorado)
May - June 2002
Position Held: Student Excavator
Advanced Archaeological Lab Techniques (Fort Lewis College, Colorado)
August - December 2001
Fort Lewis College Archaeological Field School (Durango, Colorado)
May - June 2001
Position Held: Student Excavator
PROFESSIONAL PAPERS GIVEN AND SCHEDULED
Olson, B.R., and M. Moss. Digital Imaging and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology: Problems and
Prospects. Paper presented at Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future: the Potential of Digital
Archaeology, Wentworth Institute of Technology; February 2015.
Olson, B.R. Image Based Modeling in Archaeology: Current Trends and Future Directions. Paper
presented at The Digital Archaeological Practice Workshop, University of Massachusetts Amherst;
February 2014.
Moore, R.S., B.R. Olson, and T. Najbjerg. Chasing Arsinoe: A Reassessment of the Hellenistic
Period. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research;
November 2013.
Killebrew, A.E. and B.R. Olson. New Technologies in Archaeology. Organized and served as Co-Chair
for the panel delivered at the 78th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology; April 2013.
Olson, B.R. and A.E. Killebrew. New Directions in Three-Dimensional Recording in Archaeology.
Paper presented at the 78th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology; April 2013.

Olson CV
Olson, B.R. New Directions in Three-Dimensional Recording in Archaeology. Paper presented at
Boston Universitys Department of Archaeology Brown Bag Lecture Series; November 2012.
Olson, B.R., W.R. Caraher, R.S. Moore, and D.K. Pettegrew. 2012. Pyla-Vigla: Life and Times on a
Ptolemaic Garrison Camp in Southern Cyprus. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the
American Schools of Oriental Research; November 2012.
Caraher, W.R., J. Crowley, D. DeForest, R.S. Moore, B.R. Olson, and D.K. Pettegrew 2012. PylaKoutsopetria Archaeological Project: Excavations at Pyla-Vigla in 2012. Paper presented at the 29th
Annual CAARI Archaeological Workshop; June 2012.
Olson, B.R., R. Placchetti, J. Quartermaine, and A.E. Killebrew. 2012 New Directions in Real Time 3-D
Recording and Spatial Documentation at Tel Akko, Israel. Paper presented at the International
Conference: High-Tech Heritage: How Are Digital Technologies Changing Our Views of the Past? at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst; May 2012.
Olson, B.R., A.E. Killebrew, and R. Placchetti. 2011. The Tel Akko Total Archaeology Project. Paper
presented at the REVEAL Workshop at Brown University; May 2011.
Olson, B.R., A.E. Killebrew, and C. Hritz. 2010. "A Spatial Analysis of Settlement at Dagilbaz Hyk in
the Cilician Plain, Turkey." Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental
Research; November 2010.
Olson, B.R., A.E. Killebrew, and K. Berry. 2010. "Total Archaeology at Tel Akko 2010." Poster
presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research; November 2010.
Olson, B.R. and J.T. Herrick. 2010. "Battlefield Omens in the Historiography of Alexander the Great."
Paper presented at the 106th Annual Meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South;
March 2010.
Olson, B.R. "The Inscribed Sling-Bullets of Perusia as a Unique Discourse of Violence." Paper presented
at the 111th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America; January 2010.
Olson, B.R., T. Olson, and J.T. Herrick. "The Mopsos Archaeological Survey: New Thoughts on the
Battle of Issus." Paper presented at the 111th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America;
January 2010.
Olson, B.R., A. Gatzke, and A.E. Killebrew. "The Mopsos Archaeological Survey: GIS Mapping and 3D
Modeling in the Bay of Iskenderun." Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Schools of
Oriental Research; November 2009.
Olson, B.R. and J.T. Herrick. "The Evidence for Ancient Wars: Conflict in the Issus Plain (Sponsored by
ASOR)" Organized the panel for the 76th Annual Meeting of the Society for Military History; April 2009.
Olson, B.R. "New Thoughts on the Location of the Issus Battlefield: A Historical Assessment and
Archaeological Proposal." Paper presented at the 76th Annual Meeting of the Society for Military
History; April 2009.
Olson, B.R. The Dedication of Roman Arms and Armor in Water as a Religious Ritual." Paper presented
at the 110th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America. Also served as the panel chair;
January 2009.
7

Olson CV

Moore, R.S. and B.R. Olson. "The Pyla-Koutsopetria Archaeological Project: Documenting the
Experience of Archaeology." Poster presented at the 110th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological
Institute of America; January 2009.
Iacobelli, A., B. Bradshaw, and B.R. Olson. "The Mopsos Survey: Archaeology in the Cilician Plain."
Poster presented at the Annual Meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research; November 2008.
Olson, B.R. "Aerial Insults: The Historical and Archaeological Value of Inscribed Leaden Sling-Bullets."
Paper presented at the 104th Annual Meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South;
April 2008.
Olson, B.R. "The Dedication of Roman Arms and Armament in Water as a Religious Ritual." Paper
presented at the 1st Annual Red River Valley History Conference; April 2008.
Olson, B.R. "Adding Insult to Injury: The Historical and Archaeological Value of Inscribed Leaden SlingBullets from the Hellenistic Period." Poster presented at the 23rd Annual Graduate Exhibition at Penn
State University; March 2008.
Moore, R.S. and B.R. Olson. "Pyla-Koutsopetria: The Evolution of a Survey Project." Poster presented at
the 109th Annual Meeting of the Archaeological Institute of America; January 2008.
Olson, B.R. "Adding Insult to Injury: The Historical and Archaeological Value of Inscribed Leaden SlingBullets from the Hellenistic Period." Paper presented at the 6th Annual History Graduate Student
Conference at Penn State University; October 2007.
Olson, B.R. "Inscribed Hellenistic Sling-Bullets from Cyprus: A Case Study." Paper read at the 2nd
Annual Phi Alpha Theta Conference at the University of North Dakota; March 2007.
Olson, B.R. "Memory and Identity through Commemoration on Roman Military Equipment." Paper read
at the 6th Annual Rocky Mountain Interdisciplinary History Conference; 2006.
Olson, B.R. "Soldierly Identity in the Western Empire." Paper read at the 5th Annual Graduate
Conference at the University of Missouri, Interaction and Reaction: Society Culture and the Making of
Political Identity; April 2006.
Olson, B.R. "Identifying Ownership and Identity Through Inscriptions on Roman Military Equipment."
Paper read at the 1st Annual Phi Alpha Theta Conference at the University of North Dakota; March 2006.
LANGUAGE PROFICIENCY
Latin
Ancient Greek
German
French
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
Archaeological Institute of America
Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies
The Classical Association of the Middle West and South
American Schools of Oriental Research
8

Olson CV

Last Updated: November 14, 2014