Discarded, Discovered, Collected

Discarded, Discovered, Collected

Author: Arthur Verhoogt

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2017-10-05

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 0472053647

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Discarded, Discovered, Collected: The University of Michigan Papyrus Collection provides an accessible introduction to the University's collection of papyri and related ancient materials, the widest and deepest resource of its kind in the Western hemisphere. The collection was founded in the early part of the 20th century by University of Michigan Professor of Classics Francis W. Kelsey. His original intention was to create a set of artifacts that would be useful in teaching students more directly about the ancient world, at a time when trips to ancient sites were much harder to arrange. Jointly administered by the University of Michigan's Department of Classical Studies and its Library, the collection has garnered significant interest beyond scholarly circles and now sees several hundred visitors each year. Of particular note among the collection's holdings are sixty pages of the earliest known copy of the Epistles of St. Paul, which are often featured on tours of the collection by groups from religious institutions. Arthur Verhoogt, one of the current stewards of the University of Michigan Papyrology Collection, provides clear, insightful information in an appealing style that will attract general readers and scholars alike. Extensively illustrated with some of the collection's more spectacular pieces, this volume describes what the collection is, what kinds of ancient texts it contains, and how it has developed from Francis Kelsey's day to the present. Additionally, Verhoogt describes in detail how people who study papyri carry out their work, and how papyri contribute to our understanding of various aspects of the ancient Greco-Roman world. Translations of the ancient texts are presented so that the reader can experience some of the excitement that comes with reading original documents from many centuries ago.


Roman Decorative Stone Collections in the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

Roman Decorative Stone Collections in the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology

Author: J. Clayton Fant

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2024

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 0472131958

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At the turn of the twentieth century, Francis W. Kelsey began to amass a large collection of artifacts from ancient sites across the Mediterranean, with an emphasis on Imperial Rome, to broaden the teaching of antiquity at the University of Michigan. Among the objects now housed in the museum that bears his name is a collection of seven hundred colorful stones dating to the Roman period, one of the largest and most varied collections of Roman decorative stones outside Europe. These pieces were obtained as archaeological artifacts, mostly architectural, with many deriving from well-known ancient buildings, such as the Baths of Diocletian in Rome and the Palace of Herod in Jericho, allowing for new interpretations of their architectural decoration and design. Chapters trace the formation of the collection, study the archaeology of the artifacts, and detail the history of each stone and its study with a comprehensive bibliography. In keeping with the nature of the collection, Roman Decorative Stone Collections focuses on archaeological contexts and object biographies, from the stones' first use to their eventual display in the Kelsey Museum. Entries are accompanied by rich photographs detailing the stones' appearances, environmental factors, and their collectors. The fully illustrated catalog includes essays deriving from Kelsey's original notes on sources, buildings, sites, and dealers. As the first formal catalog of these items, Roman Decorative Stone Collections is an accessible resource of Roman archaeology, antiquities, and the decorative arts.


A Catalogue of Greek Manuscripts at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

A Catalogue of Greek Manuscripts at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Author: Pablo Alvarez

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2021-01-04

Total Pages: 357

ISBN-13: 0472131893

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A Catalogue of Greek Manuscripts at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor is a comprehensive, fully illustrated catalogue of the largest collection of Greek manuscripts in America, including 110 codices and fragments ranging from the fourth to the nineteenth century. The collection, held in the Special Collections Research Center of the University of Michigan Library, contains many manuscripts from Epirus and the Meteora monasteries built on high pinnacles of rocks in Thessaly. Nadezhda Kavrus-Hoffmann has based the manuscript descriptions on the latest developments in the fields of paleography and codicology, including the newest recommendations of the Institute for Research and History of Texts in Paris. The catalogue includes high-resolution plates of all the manuscripts, allowing researchers to compare the entries with other Greek manuscripts around the world. This catalogue contains a trove of fascinating information related to Byzantine culture that will be available for the first time to scholars working on various disciplines of the humanities such as Classical and Byzantine Studies, Art History, Medieval Studies, Theology, and History. This is the first volume of a projected two-volume set. Volume 2, also by Nadezhda Kavrus-Hoffmann, will contain descriptions of remaining Greek manuscripts in the Library’s collection, starting with Mich. Ms. 59 and ending with Mich. Ms. 238, for a total of 53 manuscripts and 8 fragments. Both volumes will have the same format – catalogue entries for each manuscript together with extensive illustrations. The publication date for Volume 2 has not been established.


Greek Art and Archaeology

Greek Art and Archaeology

Author: John Griffiths Pedley

Publisher:

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13:

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In "Greek Art and Archaeology" John Pedley explores the development of Greek art and civilization across three millennia, from the enigmatically beautiful Cycladic figurines and Cretan jugs of the Bronze Age to the baroque sculptures, mosaics, and buildings of the Hellenistic period. This newly revised and enlarged edition includes material on the latest archaeological discoveries, among which are the recently unearthed seventh-century B.C. statue of a "kore" found on the island of Thera and a marble sarcophagus decorated with scenes showing the sacrifice of Polyxena. The book also provides expanded coverage of the art of Macedon, while new issue-based box features serve to bring Greek culture vividly to life for the contemporary reader. Throughout, the author blends his narrative with insightful interpretation and numerous, well-chosen illustrations, accompanied by clear plans and diagrams, making "Greek Art and Archaeology" the most accessible yet authoritative introduction to the subject available today.


Theoretical Approaches to the Archaeology of Ancient Greece

Theoretical Approaches to the Archaeology of Ancient Greece

Author: Lisa Nevett

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2017-03-06

Total Pages: 339

ISBN-13: 0472122533

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In the modern world, objects and buildings speak eloquently about their creators. Status, gender identity, and cultural affiliations are just a few characteristics we can often infer about such material culture. But can we make similar deductions about the inhabitants of the first millennium BCE Greek world? Theoretical Approaches to the Archaeology of Ancient Greece offers a series of case studies exploring how a theoretical approach to the archaeology of this area provides insight into aspects of ancient society. An introductory section exploring the emergence and growth of theoretical approaches is followed by examinations of the potential insights these approaches provide. The authors probe some of the meanings attached to ancient objects, townscapes, and cemeteries, for those who created, and used, or inhabited them. The range of contexts stretches from the early Greek communities during the eighth and seventh centuries BCE, through Athens between the eighth and fifth centuries BCE, and on into present day Turkey and the Levant during the third and second centuries BCE. The authors examine a range of practices, from the creation of individual items such as ceramic vessels and figurines, through to the construction of civic buildings, monuments, and cemeteries. At the same time they interrogate a range of spheres, from craft production, through civic and religious practices, to funerary ritual.


Object Lessons and the Formation of Knowledge

Object Lessons and the Formation of Knowledge

Author: Kerstin Barndt

Publisher: University of Michigan Press

Published: 2017-09-19

Total Pages: 377

ISBN-13: 0472122649

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Object Lessons and the Formation of Knowledge explores the museums, libraries, and special collections of the University of Michigan on its bicentennial. Since its inception, U-M has collected and preserved objects: biological and geological specimens; ethnographic and archaeological artifacts; photographs and artistic works; encyclopedia, textbooks, rare books, and documents; and many other items. These vast collections and libraries testify to an ambitious vision of the research university as a place where knowledge is accumulated, shared, and disseminated through teaching, exhibition, and publication. Today, two hundred years after the university’s founding, museums, libraries, and archives continue to be an important part of U-M, which maintains more than twenty distinct museums, libraries, and collections. Viewed from a historic perspective, they provide a window through which we can explore the transformation of the academy, its public role, and the development of scholarly disciplines over the last two centuries. Even as they speak to important facets of Michigan’s history, many of these collections also remain essential to academic research, knowledge production, and object-based pedagogy. Moreover, the university’s exhibitions and displays attract hundreds of thousands of visitors per year from the campus, regional, and global communities. Beautifully illustrated with color photographs of these world-renowned collections, this book will appeal to readers interested in the history of museums and collections, the formation of academic disciplines, and of course the University of Michigan.


Finding Ancient Rome

Finding Ancient Rome

Author: Paula Landart

Publisher: Paula Landart

Published: 2023-03-06

Total Pages: 614

ISBN-13:

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Second edition, updated March 2023 Ancient Rome is still with us, more than ever. Every year, with new metro lines, roadworks, digs, restorations and repairs, new discoveries are made and old errors corrected – and new questions raised. This electronic book is intended as both a walking guide to ancient Rome and a resource for the city and the people who left their mark on history. Each of the eight excursions illustrates an aspect of the city from the foundation to the fall, and in passing explains the bits of modern Rome whose roots lie in that distant past. These walks are not meant to be a tourist guide of the "Rome in 3 days" style nor a nutshell guide to the well-documented and overrun sites such as the Colosseum and the Forum. Instead, they lead through the city itself, along paths that have been trod for thousands of years.