Co-Sponsor Archaeological Institute of America
AIA Tours Lecturer: Ivančica (Vanča) Dvoržak Schrunk, who represents the Archaeological Institute of America, was born in Zagreb, Croatia, and teaches ancient history and archaeology at the University of St. Thomas (St. Paul, MN). She has published numerous articles and has co-authored or co-edited several books, including two volumes on the excavations at Diocletian’s Palace in Split and a book on archaeology and history of Brijuni from prehistory to Tito. Vanča is past president of the Minnesota Society of the Archaeological Institute of America and is currently vice-president of the Croatian Cultural Society of Minnesota. In 2017 she was named one of the Croatian Women’s Network’s “Croatian Women of Influence.” She leads study abroad courses in Croatia and Italy, including Sicily, and for more than a decade she has involved her students and international volunteers in a collaborative archaeological project on the island of Sveti Klement (St. Clement), near Hvar. Vanča excavated in Diocletian’s Palace, where she met her husband, and since then they did archaeological work at several other Adriatic sites, as well as in Tunisia, Egypt, Lebanon, and Syria. She will share with the group her expertise in Roman maritime villas, island environments, and ancient Mediterranean networks.
