DIANE WIRTH
Diane Wirth received a B.A. in art from Brigham Young University, and was special post-graduate student at Harvard University. She has written several books including "Decoding Ancient America: A Guide to the Archaeology of the Book of Mormon," (Cedar Fort, Inc., 2007); "Parallels: Mesoamerican and Ancient Middle Eastern Traditions," (Stonecliff Publishing, 2003); and "A Challenge to the Critics: Scholarly Evidences of the Book of Mormon" (Horizon Publishers, 1986). Many of her articles have been published by Ancient American Magazine and by Foundation for Ancient Research and Mormon Studies at Brigham Young University (FARMS/BYU).
Her many travels to Mesoamerican sites with the late Linda Schele, one of the most renowned scholars of the Mayan culture, gave Sister Wirth a love for the descendants of the Book of Mormon. Being a worldwide traveler, she has studied both the Middle East and the West, and has studied the art, religion, and traditions of many cultures. Art and iconography (interpretation of symbols and their meaning) are her specialties. Sister Wirth has given over 50 presentations at LDS Firesides and to archaeological symposiums including The American Society of Phenomenology, Aesthetics & the Fine Arts; Harvard Divinity School, Harvard University; Book of Mormon Archaeological Forum; The Book of Mormon Archaeological Foundation; The Ancient American Western Conference; New England Antiquities Research Association; Society for Early Historic Archaeology (Brigham Young University), and the Atlantic Conference in Halifax, Nova Scotia.