Friends of Fondren Library Vol. 30 RICE UNI V E R S I T Y FRIENDS OF FONDREN LlBRARYl F O N D R E N LIBRARY Board of Directors, 1980-81 Founded under the charter of the uni- versity dated May 18, 1891, the library Mr. Walter S. Baker, jr., President was established in 1913. Its present facility Mrs. Vernon Knight, Vice-President, Membership was dedicated November 4, 1949, and re- Mr. Thomas D. Smith, Vice-President, Programs dedicated in 1969 after a substantial addi- Mrs. Sally M. Smith, Secretary tion, both made possible by gifts ot Ella F. Fondren, her children, and the Fondren Mr. John T. Cahaniss, Treasurer Foundation and Trust as a tribute to Dr. Samuel M. Carrington, Jr., University Librarian (ex-officio) Walter William Fondren. The library re- Dr. William E. Gordon, Vice-President and Provost (ex-officio) corded its half-millionth volume in 1965; Dr. Walter W. Isle, Chairman, University Committee on the its one millionth volume was celebrated Library (ex-officio) Apnl 22, 1979. Members at Large T H E F R E N D S O F F O N D R E L I B R A R Y Mrs. Victor H. Ahadie, Jr. Mr. Frank G. Jones Mr. Berry D. Bowen Dr. Allen J. Matusow The Friends of Fondren Library was Mrs. Mary W. Dennis Dr. Larry V. Mclntire founded in 1950 as an association of li- Mrs. David Devine Dr. David L. Minter brary supporters interested in increasing J. Dr. Wilfred S. Dowden Mrs. Robert E. Moore and making better known the resources F. Mrs. Richard O. ot the Fondren Library at Rice Universi- Mr. John Heard Wilson ty. The Friends, through members' dues Mrs. William P. Hobby, Jr. and sponsorship of a memorial and honor gift program, secure gifts and bequests and provide funds for the purchase of rare books, manuscripts, and other mate- rial which could not otherwise be ac- quired by the library. COVER; Part of an archaeological excavation site on the Via Gabirm near Rome, Italy. Work on this project is being earned out by Rice Professors Walter Widrig and Philip Oliver-Smith. THE FLYLEAF Founded October 1950 and published quarterly by The Friends of Fondren Li- brary, Rice University, Houston, Texas 77001, as a record of Fondren Library and Friends activities, and of the generosity of the library's supporters. Lauren Brown, Acting Editor; Jane Baker, Associate Editor. Editorial Com- mittee: Dr. David Minter, Chairman; Mrs. Mary Woodson Dennis; Mrs. Diana Hobby; Mrs. Sally McQueen Smith. Photographs by James Aronovsky and Janie Lee. LETTER TO THE FRIENDS C O N T N T Dear Friends, 2 Rice's Roman Excavation: A Look at Archaeology on the The Fondren Library is highly indebted to the continued ViaGahina generosity of individual donors. Their donations have provided jet Mane Prendeville the Fondren with the means to acquire books and collections beyond the reach of its regular budget, thus complementing the Library's university subsidy. Monastic Chained Binding The Friends of Fondren, together with the Fondren Library Arrives at the Fondren Library staff, are prepared to acknowledge gifts and donations to funds Lauren R. Brown benefitting the Library in which the Friends have an interest (consisting of the Gifts and Memorials Fund, in addition to the Highlights of the Fall- Winter Seasc Friends' Membership Fund), as well as donations of books, periodicals and other materials. Besides the customary 10 letter to individual this is acnowledgment sent donors, accom- Gifts to the Fondren Library plished in several ways. Records of donations are kept, awaiting publication in the Gifts and Memorials section of the Friends' Flyleaf. A bookplate is prepared for each donation given to the Friends and forwarded to the staff of the Collection Development Department for placement in those volumes designated as appropriate by Library policy. When special subject requests are made, bookplates pertaining to such requests are also forwarded to the staff for acquisition of appropriate volumes. In many cases, large donations are accompanied by special purchase requests made by either the donor, the honored individual, or the family of the memorialized person for selection of titles in a particular subject area. Each ot these requests is met with personal attention by both the Librarian's Office and the Collection Development Department of the Library. A financial summary of expenditures by the Friends on behalf of the Fondren Library is presented annually in the Flyleaf. In- cluded in the summary is a listing of funds allocated to the Fondren's General Book Collection, the Reference Books Fund, the Woodson Research Center, and to special endowments. Of particular note during the fiscal year just ended was the assistance afforded by the Friends from membership funds in connection with acquisition by the Library of the Huxley Papers. The gifts, donations and support provided to the Fondren by members and contributors to the Friends have truly enhanced the quality of the Library's collection — clearly a fitting testimonial for the generosity of the Friends and the Rice community Yours truly. John T Cabaniss Treasurer RICE'S ROMAN EXCAVATION: A LOOK AT ARCHAEOLOGY ON THE VIAGABINA Jet Marie Prendeville jet Prendeville is the Art Librarian and a member oj the Guiseppe Fiorelli, an important pioneer in the field Reference department at the Fundren Library. Her paper of archaeology, fortunately assumed control over the is a response to the Friends' lecture delivered by Professor excavation of Pompeii in 1860. An early advocate of Walter Widng on November 23, 1980. stratigraphic analysis, Fiorelli excavated stratum by stratum, preserving all important features in situ. That archaelogy is a complex study of man's past, Fiorelli's concept ot excavating and preserving every- employing the skills ot excavation, conservation, and thing from monumental architecture to common restoration combined with the scientific techniques household utensils set a standard for future archaeo- of documentation and historical interpretation, was logical investigation. clearly shown in a lecture presented last tall hy Pro- One of the most widely-known archaeologists of fessor Walter Widrig. Illustrated with numerous the nineteenth century is Heinrich Schliemann slides, Widrig's lecture documented recent field work (1822-1890). By the time he was forty-six, on ancient farm complexes along the Via Gabina Schliemann had amassed a considerable fortune near Rome. This excavation work has engaged the through his business ventures; he retired to immerse talents of Professors Widrig and Philip Oliver-Smith himself in the study of prehistoric archaeology intent with the assistance of Rice University students. on proving that Homer's literary legacy was based The realization that Rice faculty and students are upon fact rather than myth. Believing that the city of actively involved in excavating Roman ruins brings Troy was located at Hissarlik, Schliemann began ex- to mind several questions regarding the development cavation there in 1871-73. Other excavations fol- of archaeology as a humanistic and scientific disci- lowed m 1879, 1882-83, and continued in 1889-90. pline. Who were the pioneers in this relatively new Schliemann discovered not only Homeric Troy, but discipline that have uncovered the more astonishing also the previously unknown Mycenaean and pre- archaeological sites of the Mediterranean world and Mycenaean Anatolian civilizations. He made addi- Mesopotamia? How does current archaeological tional contributions to the world's knowledge of pre- investigation differ from the nineteenth-century ex- Hellenic civilizations with excavations of Mycenae in peditions? And how does current worldwide activity 1874-76 and Tiryns in 1884-85. During the excava- in this field become known to researchers in the Rice tion of the seven levels of Troy, Schliemann de- University community? veloped certain principles that remain an integral The antiquarianism of both the eighteenth century part of modem archaeological methodology: preserve and the first half of the nineteenth century was large- all finds, record the levels at which all finds are ly concerned with collecting "important large made, photograph or sketch all important artifacts, museum pieces at the least possible outlay ot time and and publish the results as soon as possible. money." Antiquarianism was a phenomenon quite Archaeological sites of such magnitude as the different from the principles of archaeology which Palace of Knossos, Pompeii, and Herculaneum cap- slowly evolved during the latter half of the nine- ture and fire the imagination with their architecture, teenth century and were greatly refined over the paintings, sculptures, and artefacts of daily life. That course of the twentieth century. scholarly and popular interest in these sites persist is During the eighteenth century, such important evidenced by the exhibition Pompeii A.D. 79 which sites as Herculaneum and Pompeii suffered from travelled to four major American cities in 1978-79. It excavation methods that did not include preser- is quite likely that the most spectacular sites of the vation. The earliest excavations of Pompeii in 1748 Mediterranean world have been discovered — yet were neither systematic nor scientific: houses were contemporary archaeological excavations such as left exposed subject to both looting and decay. those along the Via Gabina are filling in the gaps of Page 2 The Flyleaf The entrance and atrium with imphivium of the vilki at site 1 1 on the Via Gabina. our knowledge and thus enabling scholars to write a scholar, hypothesized that the open-ended courtyard more complete history of our cultural past. eventually evolved into the enclosed atrium with an Excavation of ancient farms and villas along the imphivmm (central basin) of the typical Roman villa. Via Gahina was begun by Philip Oliver-Smith and The work of Professors Widrig and Oliver-Smith has Walter Widrig in 1976. The Via Gabina sites are provided the first physical ex'idence ot direct archi- important because structural changes in the tectural precedents tor the Roman atrium house.