The Philadelphia Club’s dress code: Gentlemen are requested to wear jacket and tie (and equivalent dress for ladies). House Rules: The use of cellphones or other electronic devices is not permitted in any areas of the Clubhouse commonly enjoyed by others (and ringers should be silenced). Guests who wish to use these devices inside the Club may do so in one of the three phone booths on the first floor at the west end of the main hallway. Also, photographs taken in the interior of the Clubhouse should only be used for private purposes and not posted on any social media sites.
DINNER
Special three-course dinner of appetizers, main course, and dessert designed by Chef Pierre Calmels
LECTURE
Within the context of the seven ancient wonders of the world, Darius recontextualizes the list with Rome in mind. With original video footage, he’ll evaluate and give new insights on some of the most important architectural and engineering achievements of Rome. Keeping a sharp focus on Rome itself, he’ll also traverse the confines of the entire empire to ask the question of why so much of the Roman art and architecture is still here, and how has Ancient Rome remained influential—designs, materials, innovations, solutions.
He will look at the evolution of mega-temples and the vast scale of urbanization and related infrastructure, as well as Rome’s greatest bridges and aqueducts. Darius will explore Roman achievements and lasting legacy, including the Pantheon to the Alcantara bridge in Spain that cars still drive over.
BIO
A Ph.D. archaeologist and historian, Darius Arya has led excavations (Rome, Ostia Antica) and taught university programs in Italy for over 17 years. He’s a Fulbright scholar, fellow of the American Academy in Rome, and guest scholar of Getty Conservation Institute. He directs the American Institute for Roman Culture and its online learning platform Ancient Rome Live.
Darius has rappelled down caverns, explored underground churches, wells and lost temples. He’s crawled through some of the world’s oldest ancient sewers in his quest for history, discovery, and answering questions about the past.
He’s appeared as an expert or tv host for 15 years on History, National Geographic, Discovery. Smithsonian, PBS, Italy’s Rai5, and more. He’s also regularly featured as an expert on BBC4 Radio, CBS Sunday Morning, and CNN. Darius is one of the few American Ph.D. archaeology experts on TV today, creating consistently accessible, engaging conversations, matched by his daily social media work on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube.
Darius works with international organizations such as Getty Museum, Getty Conservation Institute, Italian superintendencies and museums, Italian Ministry of Culture, Museum Week, ICOMOS, and a number of corporate brands.