Annapaola Zaccaria Ruggiu

Annapaola Zaccaria Ruggiu is a Professor of Archaeology and History of Greek and Roman Art at Ca' Foscari University of Venice, where she has been teaching since completing her education at the Catholic University of Milan. She currently coordinates the doctoral program in Ancient History and Archaeology, History of Art, and teaches in the Master's program in Food and Wine Culture. Her institutional affiliation is with the Department of Humanities at Ca' Foscari University of Venice.

Professor Zaccaria Ruggiu's research focuses on private architecture and the relationship between public and private space in Roman cities, the banquet space and origin of the triclinium, socio-political change in relation to living patterns, iconography and theoretical-philosophical conceptions, and ancient fabric with particular emphasis on Coptic Egypt garments and their connection to Christian-Gnostic conceptions. Her work bridges classical archaeology with broader cultural and philosophical questions about ancient societies.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent scholarly output over several decades, with particular emphasis on Hierapolis of Phrygia, Pompeii, and Roman domestic architecture. Recent works show a continued focus on residential spaces in Anatolia and Italy, examining the evolution of domestic architecture through Late Antiquity. Her research combines detailed archaeological analysis with broader theoretical frameworks concerning urban space, cultural transformation, and social practices.

Professor Zaccaria Ruggiu has directed significant excavation projects at important archaeological sites including Luni (La Spezia), Altino (Venice), Hierapolis (Turkey), Brentino Belluno (Verona), and Pompeii. Her fieldwork combines traditional archaeological methods with modern approaches to data management and interpretation. She has also edited several important scholarly volumes that bring together diverse perspectives on ancient urbanism and cultural practices.