After five decades of collecting ancient artifacts, Dr. Marie Spiro wanted to donate her collection to an institution that would continue her approach of interactive learning, and she selected UMBC three years ago. Spiro, an associate professor emerita of art and archaeology at the University of Maryland, College Park, recently visited UMBC to attend Ancient Studies Associate Professor and Chair Marilyn Goldberg’s retirement party. The Spiro Artifact Collection features Greek, Roman and Byzantine artifacts and contains mosaics, pottery, figurines and other pieces that date back as far as 15,000 years. The collection has provided a hands-on learning opportunity for ancient studies students …