“So what did ancient Rome smell like?” I ask, my attention completely captivated. Alexis Christensen, associate professor (lecturer) in the Department of World Languages and Cultures, laughs. “Probably not very good,” she cautions, launching into an explanation of how Roman cities were laid out, and what smells were likely to have been present according to textual and archaeological records—everything from pleasant aromas of baking bread and herbs in kitchen gardens to the pungent odors of tanneries and midden heaps containing the jawbones of tiny dormice, a delicacy in ancient Rome.
Christensen, a classical archaeologist by training, is part of a growing team of scholars dedicated to continuing the University of Utah’s strong tradition of education in the classics. She, along with fellow professors John Wynne, Margaret Toscano, Jordan Johansen and Echo Smith, teaches 650+ students every year in a wide variety of classes—Video Games & Antiquity, Ancient Greek, Classical Mythology, Ancient Divination and Latin.
