To celebrate our 2026 Fellowship recipients , we connected with this year’s awardees to learn more about their projects and the unique paths that led them into the field of archaeology. We’re thrilled to introduce Ehsan Behbahani-Nia, recipient of the prestigious 2026 John R. Coleman Traveling Fellowship ! Ehsan Behbahani-Nia (University of Wisconsin-Madison) Tell us about your project: My research investigates the movement of Greek stonemasons and workshops across the Mediterranean during the late Archaic and early Classical periods, from the palaces of Achaemenid Persia to mainland Greece and the monumental temples of Magna Graecia. By closely examining construction techniques (tool marks, joint methods, lifting techniques, quarrying practices, etc.), I aim to identify shared technical signatures that may reveal the work of mobile groups of artisans.…