Smithsonian Journeys Experts
Janet Duncan Jones
Janet Duncan Jones, Professor Emerita of Classics and Ancient Mediterranean Studies at Bucknell University, is an archaeologist with over 40 years‘ experience in the field. She has participated in excavation projects in Turkey, Greece, Tunisia, and Jordan. Her experience as a glassblower out of college ignited a career long research interest in preindustrial technologies and the lives of early craft workers. While living in villages in the Middle East she became interested in the impacts of preindustrial technologies on the ancient environment and the evolution of cultural landscapes. Her publications include studies of the ancient glass from sites in Turkey and Jordan, and synthetic considerations of the landscape of ancient ruins and of the messages and impacts of ancient mega-engineering projects. Recently she has focused her work on the impact of the Moors in southern Spain on urbanism, architecture, technology, and intellectual history.
Janet has lived in Turkey and Greece, and has traveled widely with an eye toward the messages that landscapes send us about the values and concerns of past peoples. She holds degrees from the College of William and Mary and from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she also acquired a devotion to ACC basketball. She lives in the mountains of central Pennsylvania with her geographer husband and hounds descended from those she originally imported from the Euphrates Valley in southeastern Turkey.
What Our Travelers Say
- Jean H., Ancient Egypt and the NileNot only did her lectures spark high interest, but she continued to be a resource every time a question popped up during tours, meals, etc.
- Robert E., Treasures of Southern Spain and PortugalFabulous ability to teach and pull lots of things together. Always relevant and interesting.
Upcoming Tours
Legendary Turkey and the Turquoise Coast
15 days
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Starting at: $5,992
May 7, 2024 - May 21, 2024
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Southern Italy and Sicily
15 days
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Starting at: $6,974
Sep 12, 2024 - Sep 26, 2024
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Ancient Egypt and the Nile
14 days
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Starting at: $6,997
Nov 30, 2024 - Dec 13, 2024
Feb 8, 2025 - Feb 21, 2025
Featuring Abu Simbel
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Treasures of Southern Spain and Portugal
15 days
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Starting at: $6,274
Mar 24, 2025 - Apr 7, 2025
Featuring Historic Paradores and Pousadas
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Spain’s Andalusia: A One-Week Stay in Antequera
9 days
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Starting at: $4,390
Apr 24, 2025 - May 2, 2025
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Around the World by Private Jet: A Classic Journey
22-25 days
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Starting at: $139,950
Oct 4, 2025 - Oct 25, 2025
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