Collec&ng  the  Past:    The  Legacy  of  19th  Century  An4quarianism  in  Cyprus  

Julia  Wareham,  Archaeology  &  History  Faculty  Mentor:  Dr.  Emily  Anderson,  Classics  &  History  of  Art  

Introduc4on    Looking  specifically  at  the  Bri4sh  Museum,  the  Cyprus  Museum,  and  the  Johns  Hopkins  Archaeological  Museum,  this  project  focuses  on  the  ways  in  which  an4quarian  mo4va4ons  shaped  19th  century  archaeological  ac4vity  in  Cyprus,  how  this  is  reflected  in  Western  museum  collec4ons,  and  to  what  extent  this  legacy  con4nues  to  impact  current  archaeological  research  on  the  island.    

Early  Archaeology  and  Collec4ng  in  Cyprus    

“The  work  (in  Cyprus)  is  interes4ng  alone  to  the  serious  student  of  the  remote  annals  of  the  Mediterranean.  To  

him  the  an4qui4es  of  the  island  are  a  precious  connec4ng-­‐link  between  Egypt,  Assyria,  and  early  Greece  and  the  less  aErac4ve  they  are  to  the  ar4s4c  eye  the  more  valuable  are  they  to  his  compara4ve  vision.”  

Stuart  Poole,  1878  

Conclusions:  Legacy  of  An4quarianism  and  the  Future  of  Cypriot  Archaeology  

Bri4sh  Museum  

The  Bri4sh  Museum  was  founded  in  1753  as  the  world’s  first  na4onal  public  museum,  and  its  extensive  collec4on  of  Cypriot  an4qui4es  is  one  of  the  largest  outside  of  Cyprus.  Today  the  collec4on  is  housed  primarily  in  the  A.G.  Levan4s  Gallery.  

Cyprus  Museum   Johns  Hopkins  Archaeological  Museum  

The  Johns  Hopkins  Archaeological  Museum  was  established  in  1882,  and  is  one  of  the  oldest  university  collec4ons  of  archaeological  material  in  the  United  States.  Though  the  museum  was  originally  in  McCoy  Hall  on  the  old  campus  downtown,  today  nearly  all  of  the  collec4on  resides  in  Gilman  Hall  in  the  newly  renovated  Archaeological  Museum.  

The  Athienou  Archaeological  Project  

Selected  Bibliography  1.  Myres,  John  L.  and  Max  Ohnefalsch-­‐Richter.  A  Catalogue  of  the  Cyprus  Museum  with  a  chronicle  of  excava4ons  undertaken  since  the  Bri4sh  occupa4on  and  introductory  notes  on  Cypriote  archaeology.  Oxford:  Clarendon  Press,  1899.  2.  Ohnefalsch-­‐Richter,  Max.  Kypros,  the  Bible  and  Homer:  Oriental  civiliza4on,  art  and  religion  in  ancient  4mes.  London:  Asher  &  Co,  1893.      3.  Ta^on-­‐Brown,  Veronica.  Cyprus  in  the  19th  Century  AD:  Fact,  Fancy  and  Fic4on.  London:  Oxbow  Books,  2001.  4.  Williams,  Ellen  Reeder.  The  Archaeological  Collec4on  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  University.  Bal4more:  The  Johns  Hopkins  University  Press,  1984.  

Acknowledgments  

I  would  like  to  thank  the  Woodrow  Wilson  Undergraduate  Research  Fellowship  for  the  opportunity  to  pursue  this  project,  and  Ami  Cox  for  all  of  her  help  throughout  this  process.  I  would  also  like  to  thank  my  mentor,  Dr.  Emily  Anderson,  for  her  constant  support  and  guidance  over  the  past  four  years.  

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ART FROM OLD CYPRUS: MR. THEODORE MARBURG GIVES A RARE COLLECTION TO ...The Sun (1837-1990); Dec 19, 1900; ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The Baltimore Sunpg. 12

Cyprus  Under  Bri4sh  Rule  

The  Athienou  Archaeological  Project,  sponsored  by  Davidson  College,  excavates  in  the  Malloura  Valley  and  focuses  on  a  sanctuary  site  that  was  in  use  from  the  Geometric  period  through  the  Roman  period.  The  site  was  excavated  in  the  19th  century  by  a  French  mission,  and  some  of  the  sculpture  excavated  during  this  4me  is  s4ll  on  display  in  the  Louvre.    

Current  excava4on  at  this  site  oben  deals  with  hoards  of  unwanted  materials  leb  behind  by  both  an4quarians  and  20th  century  looters.  Today,  AAP  plays  an  important  role  in  the  community,  contribu4ng  to  the  local  economy  during  the  field  season  and  working  to  educate  the  community  on  the  area’s  ancient  heritage.  

The  Malloura  Valley  in  Athienou,  Cyprus.    Image  courtesy  of  AAP.  

The  AAP  team  on  the  last  day  of  the  2015  field  season.  Image  Courtesy  of  AAP.  

Map  of  Cyprus  indica4ng  significant  archaeological  sites  Image  courtesy  of  Harvard  Semi4c  Museum  

In  1878  the  Bri4sh  government  took  control  over  from  Cyprus  from  the  O^oman  Empire.  The  inheritance  of  O^oman  an4qui4es  law  meant  that  a  large  amount  of  archaeological  material  could  be  exported  from  the  island  without  much  issue.  Bri4sh  control  in  Cyprus  also  meant  that  Bri4sh  officials  on  the  island  had  prac4cally  free  reign  over  all  archaeological  ac4vity,  a  fact  which  many  exploited  to  acquire  their  own  personal  collec4ons.  

Illustra4ons  from  Max  Ohnefalsch-­‐Richter’s  publica4on,  Kypros,  The  Bible  and  Homer  

Given  that  the  Bri4sh  Museum’s  excava4ons  in  Cyprus  were  carried  out  the  Greek  and  Roman  Department,  it  is  no  surprise  that  the  objects  were  displayed  among  the  Greek  and  Roman  collec4ons,  rather  than  with  the  Western  Asia4c  an4qui4es.  The  Bri4sh  Museum’s  interest  in  the  Mycenaean  objects  of  the  Cypriot  collec4on  meant  that  these  materials  were  displayed  alongside  Mycenaean  ar4facts  from  Greece,  while  the  rest  of  the  Cypriot  material  was  largely  kept  in  storerooms.    

The  A.G.  Levan4s  Gallery  was  inaugurated  in  December  1987.  Located  on  the  second  floor  of  the  Bri4sh  Museum,  the  Gallery  is  surrounded  on  either  side  by  galleries  dedicated  to  the  Greek  and  Roman  world,  showing  the  museum’s  con4nued  associa4on  of  Cypriot  material  with  classical  archaeology.  

The  Cyprus  Museum  was  founded  un4l  1883  during  the  Bri4sh  occupa4on  of  Cyprus.  The  early  museum  was  funded  en4rely  by  private  subscrip4on,  and  excava4ons  on  behalf  of  the  museum  were  conducted  throughout  the  period  of  Bri4sh  occupa4on,  most  notably  by  Ohnefalsch-­‐Richter.    

The  museum  has  since  undergone  further  renova4on  to  include  more  public  galleries  and  underground  storerooms  to  house  the  con4nually  growing  collec4on.  The  reorganiza4on  of  the  museum  in  1935  under  former  the  Director  of  An4qui4es  Porphyrios  Dikaios  remains  largely  unchanged  today.  

Despite  the  apparent  lack  of  aesthe4c  appeal  of  Cypriot  an4qui4es,  excava4on  and  collec4on  of  this  material  was  rampant  in  Bri4sh  controlled  Cyprus.  These  excava4ons  primarily  focused  on  tomb  and  sanctuary  sites,  where  the  most  valuable  ar4facts  could  be  found.  Collec4ng  preferences  in  this  period  were  largely  shaped  by  interest  in  the  Bible  and  in  Classical  literature.  Through  the  end  of  the  19th  century,  the  Bri4sh  Museum’s  Greek  and  Roman  Department  sponsored  several  excava4ons  in  Cyprus,  a  large  number  of  which  were  led  by  German  archaeologist  Max  Ohnefalsch-­‐Richter.  

Mycenaean  objects  from  the  Bri4sh  Museum’s  Cypriot  collec4on  ©Trustees  of  the  Bri4sh  Museum.  

The  first  Cypriot  collec4on  at  Johns  Hopkins  was  donated  to  the  University  in  1900    by  Theodore  Marburg,  a  cousin  of  Bri4sh  official  Col.  Falkland  Warren,  who  was  ac4ve  in  Cypriot  excava4ons  in  the  late  19th  century.  Professor  John  H.  Young  of  the  Classics  Department  also  added  to  collec4on  following  his  work  with  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  excava4ons  at  Kourion.  

Today,  the  museum  displays  a  selec4on  of  Cypriot  objects  alongside  Aegean  material.  Though  the  way  in  which  this  material  was  originally  displayed  is  unknown,  given  the  early  museum’s  strong  4es  the  the  Classics  Seminary,  it  is  likely  that  it  also  would  have  been  associated  with  a  classical  context.  

The  original  Cyprus  Museum  was  run-­‐down  and  poorly  funded,  and  objects  were  oben  neglected  or  accidentally  damaged.  In  1908,  following  a  change  to  the  an4qui4es  law,  the  new  museum  was  constructed  at  its  current  loca4on  and  was  dedicated  as  a  memorial  to  Queen  Victoria.  

Objects  on  display  in  the  A.G.  Levan4s  Gallery  at  the  Bri4sh  Museum  

The  Bri4sh  Museum  today  

The  Cyprus  Museum  today  

Leb:  Archaeological  collec4on  on  display  in  McCoy  Hall,  1915    Right:  The  Johns  Hopkins  Archaeological  Museum  today  

Leb:  Plan  of  original  Cyprus  Museum    Right:  Plan  of  Cyprus  Museum  in  1961  

Views  of  displays  in  1961.  These  remain  unchanged  today.  

Bal4more  Sun  headline  from  1900  

Objects  currently    on  display  in  the  Johns  Hopkins  Archaeological  Museum  

CAARI,  pictured  above,  was  established  in  1978.    

Excava4on  techniques  and  collec4ng  habits  from  the  late  19th  century  con4nue  to  influence  our  understanding  of  the  ancient  past  of  Cyprus  through  modern  display  in  Western  museums.  Since  Cyprus’s  independence  from  Britain  in  1960,  archaeological  prac4ce  has  undergone  significant  change,  which  may  be  seen  as  a  response  to  pre-­‐independence  an4quarianism  and  museum  collec4ng.  The  Cyprus  American  Archaeological  Research  Ins4tute,  an  organiza4on  that  a^empts  to  bring  together  archaeologists  with  a  variety  of  backgrounds  to  collaborate  on  their  work  in  Cyprus,  is  one  example  of  such  change.  The  establishment  of  regional  archaeological  museums  ensures  not  only  that  all  objects  found  in  modern  excava4ons  remain  on  the  island,  but  also  in  the  region  whence  they  came.