Associates Newsletter Kelsey Museum of Archaeology
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Associates Newsletter Spring 1990 Kelsey Museum of Archaeology NarES FROM THE DIRECTOR Another busy academic year at the Kelsey for Amy Rosenberg as project supervisor. The opening of this exhibition gave us an draws to a breathless close. There is, as Unfortunately, lingering health problems occasion to celebrate another significant always, much more to tell than I can con have prevented Amy from returning to event-the return of David Slee to the dense into a few columns of text, but I will work at the Kelsey. Jerrie Clarke of Salt Lake Kelsey after a year's leave of absence. The attempt to highlight the main projects and City is the conservation intern who will elegant installation design bears the hall events that have kept us occupied during carry out the survey under Brook Bow marks of imagination and craftsmanship the past few months and tell you a little man's direction. Jerrie will be with us for six that we have so long admired in David's about what we anticipate for the spring and months until September 30th. The third work. It is a regal setting fit for a Persian summer months. member of the project team is Kristen Han king. nold, an undergraduate major in classical Terenouthis: An Update archaeology who has been a faithful volun A Presidential Celebration March 1st marked the beginning of the sec teer in the Kelsey'S registry. Her job is to On May 19th we will open another new ex ond year of the Musuem's two-year Getty catalogue all of the objects included in the hibition as part of the sesquicentennial funded project which is aimed at publish survey. Her work will be supervised by celebration of the campus residence of the ing the results of the University's 1935 exca Robin Meador-Woodruff, our coordinator University President-Presidenfs Choice: vation of the necropolis of Terenouthis in of collections. The project will result in a Selections from the Ruthven Collection of the Egyptian Delta. Dr. Roger McGeary, much clearer picture of what treatments Antiquities. (See Exhibition News.) The who has been Visiting Assistant Curator at will be necessary to stabilize and conserve opening of the show is one of the events the Kelsey since the fall of 1986, is nearing each of the objects in the two collections scheduled for President's Weekend. We are completion of his work on the funerary and what conditions should be provided grateful to the Office of the President for a stelae and small finds from the site and will for housing them. generous grant that permits us to mount be leaving Ann Arbor at the end of July to this exhibition in connection with the ses return to his home in Toronto. Roger has quicentennial celebration. been the driving force behind the Terenou this project. Both his erudition and his con Coptos Excavation and viction that a comprehensive study of the results of the 1935 season would provide Field Survey unique information about burial practices In May, Sharon Herbert, our Curator of Ex and beliefs in Egypt during the Graeco cavations, and Henry Wright, Director of Roman period motivated us to undertake the Museums of Anthropology, will go to the full publication of the excavation. Egypt with a small team of specialists to We will miss Roger. During the past four map the exposed remains of Coptos and set years he has played a vital role in the life of up a pottery classification system in prepa the Museum as our resident Egyptologist, ration for three full seasons of excavation contributing generously of his time, knowl A Grand Opening for and survey at the site. The first season is edge and friendship to students, docents, scheduled for January and February of 1991. staff and faculty. Happily, Roger will be Crowning Glories The project is intended to amplify our back in Ann Arbor from time to time to see On March 30th we celebrated the opening understanding of the trade between the the Terenouthis manuscripts into print. We of our new exhibition, Crowning Glories: Mediterranean and the Indian Ocean via look forward to his visits and wish him well Persian Kingship and the Power of Crea the Nile and the Red Sea. Coptos (modern in the next phase of his career. tive Continuity, prepared by Margaret Root, Qift) flourished as a major emporium along Associate Curator of Collections and Exhi this trade route for many centuries. Our Work on the IMS bitions. For the occasion Margaret gave a project, which is co-sponsored by the Uni Conservation project splendid lecture on Persia's imperial city, versity of Assiut, centers on the Roman and Persepolis, which piqued an enthusiastic early Byzantine periods of the site and In the fall issue of this Newletter, I an audience's interest in the art and ideology Rome's complex trade relations with the nounced that the Kelsey had received a of the Persian Empire. The exhibition was Orient. In February, a lecture by Sharon grant from the Institute for Museum Serv planned to coincide with the Tenth Achae Herbert gave us an excellent introduction to ices Conservation Program (IMS-CP) for a menid History Workshop, an international the importance of Coptos in this interna condition survey of our glass and plant gathering of specialists which convened in tional trade network and the results that fiber collections. Work on this project is Ann Arbor on April 6th-8th. (For more in have already been obtained by the Michi now underway with Brook Bowman, Visit formation on Crowning Glories see Exhibi gan-Assiut team during two preliminary ing Curator of Conservation, substituting tion News in this issue.) field seasons. A New Field Project at l.epti Minus In May and June, a University of Michigan tion of the old storage shelves and clearing On May 1st, an intrepid group of travelers team will collaborate with the Tunisian In out of the old wood and hardware. Finally, will set off for Sicily under the expert stitut National d~rcheologie et d~t in a the crew from the University's Plant De guidance of Professor John Pedley of the pilot season at the port city of Lepti Minus partment arrived, leveled the risers, put in Department of Classical Studies and the on the east coast of Tunisia, about 35 km. a new floor and walls, painted, and in Kelsey Museum. Once again the Associ south of Sousse. Professors John Hum stalled new light fixtures and carpeting. ates are joining forces with the Classical Art phrey and David Mattingly of the Depart The transformed space now awaits the Society of the Chicago Art Institute for a ment of Classical Studies will serve with construction of storage and drafting units unique archaeological adventure. We will Drs. Hedi Slim and Jejib Ben Lazreg of the and the installation of appropriat~ furnish tell you all about it in the fall issue of the Institut National as directors. ings. We expect to have everything in order Newsletter. One of the goals of the first season is to by the time our archaeologists return from A tantalizing preview of Sicily was pre prepare an accurate topographic map of the the field. Thanks are due to the above sented by Professor Pedley on April 27th at area occupied by the ancient city with the named staff members, two graduate stu the Associates' annual Spring Membership aid of an Electronic Distance Measurer dents, Nigel Pollard and Lea Stirling, who Dinner at the Executive Residence of the (EDM). Corings will determine the geologi helped in the clearing operation, Henry Business School. His lecture, Selin us and cal configurations of the site, the depth of Halloway of the Office of the Dean of the Syracuse: Megarians and Corinthians in Eldo the archaeological levels, and recent coastal College of Literature, Science and the Arts, rado- Or-A Funny Thing Happened Once We changes. At the same time survey work will who took a keen interest in the project and Got to Sicily, left us all wishing we had focus on selected areas of the city. The moved it along expeditiously, and the staff signed up for the tour. survey team will locate all visible structures of the Plant Department who produced At the Spring Dinner members and their to be plotted on a master plan, collect pot such a high quality result. guests had a private viewing of a potential tery sherds that will indicate the periods of new acquisition for the Kelsey collection - a occupation in various quarters of the city, handsome Attic red-figure oil vessel (leky and look for evidence of industrial activity thos) of the fifth century BC attributed to such as metal working, ceramic produc the Bowdoin Painter which displays a bust tion, and the manufacture of olive oil or of the youthful Athena in a graceful profile fish-sauce. In future seasons the team will view. The Associates Board wishes to en gather information about the organization courage members to contribute toward this of trade, the producers and shippers of vase which would fill an important niche in goods, and the relative prosperity of the ci the Museum's collection. ty and region through the Punic, Roman, Our ever-energetic Docent-Associates Vandal, Byzantine and early Arab periods. are planning once again to hold hiero The work at Lepti Minus will comple glyphic workshops for children at the Ann ment the research that is being done on Arbor Summer Festival and to continue trade by our teams at Coptos and Tel Anafa. with their exciting suitcase project (see The project will run concurrently with the Kelsey Suitcase Project).