Rex E. Wallace
American linguist and classical scholar (born 1952)
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Rex E. Wallace (born September 13, 1952) is an American linguist and classical scholar specializing in the Etruscan language, the ancient languages of Italy, epigraphy, and historical linguistics. He is Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, where he served on the faculty from 1985 until his retirement in 2018.[1]
September 13, 1952
Rex E. Wallace | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rex Ervin Wallace September 13, 1952 United States |
| Occupations | Linguist, classical scholar |
| Academic background | |
| Alma mater | |
| Academic work | |
| Discipline | Linguistics |
Sub-discipline | Etruscan language, epigraphy, historical linguistics |
| Institutions | University of Massachusetts Amherst |
Main interests | Etruscan, Sabellic languages, Latin epigraphy |
Notable works | Zikh Rasna: A Manual of the Etruscan Language and Inscriptions (2008; 2nd ed. 2025) |
Education and career
Rex Ervin Wallace completed his B.A. and M.A. at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln before earning his Ph.D. in Linguistics from Ohio State University in 1984.[2]
Wallace joined the faculty of the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1985. During his tenure, he held administrative leadership positions, including serving as the Associate Dean for Research and Personnel in the College of Humanities and Fine Arts.[3]
From 1984–1985, Wallace was awarded the Rome Prize Fellowship as the Oscar Broneer Fellow in Classical Studies at the American Academy in Rome.[4] He is the recipient of several university honors, including the Chancellor’s Excellence in Service Award and the Provost’s Exceptional Merit Award.[5]
Research
His research has focused on the languages of Pre-Roman Italy and their inscriptions. He is a leading authority on Etruscology and the Sabellic languages, specifically their paleography and linguistic development. His research contributions to Etruscan studies led to his selection as a member of the Istituto Nazionale di Studi Etruschi ed Italici.[6]
Wallace was a co-founder and co-editor of Rasenna, a peer-reviewed electronic journal for Etruscan studies, and has served as a language page editor for Etruscan News.[7] In 2018, he delivered the Cinelli Lecture in Etruscan and Italic Archaeology, sponsored by the Archaeological Institute of America (AIA), at the University of Cincinnati on March 8 and at Ohio State University on March 7. His lecture was titled "The Etruscan ‘Stele of Vicchio’."[8]
Selected publications
- Res gestae divi Augusti: as recorded in the Monumentum Ancyranum and the Monumentum Antiochenum (2000).
- An introduction to wall inscriptions from Pompeii and Herculaneum, Bolchazy-Carducci (2005). ISBN 978-0865165700
- The Sabellic Languages of Ancient Italy, Lincom Europa (2007). ISBN 978-3895869907
- Zikh Rasna: A Manual of Etruscan Language and Inscriptions, Beech Stave Press (2008); 2nd edition (2025).[9][10]
- Petrocchi, Alessandra, and Rex Wallace. Grammatica delle Lingue Sabelliche dell’Italia Antica. München: Lincom (2020).[11]
- The Archaeology of Language at Poggio Civitate (Murlo), Giorgio Bretschneider Editore (2018). ISBN 978-88-7689-309-4