26.03.2015
Workshop: 'Transforming the Antique' - Appropriation and Interpretation - 'Excavation Museums'(?), Archaeology, and National Identity around 1900
The decades preceding the First World War witnessed a surge of interest in the archaeology of the Roman provinces. Ambitious research projects and extensive excavations were accompanied by the field's introduction into university curricula. The period also gave rise to museums predominantly dedicated to preserving and presenting Roman antiquities of domestic provenance. So-called 'excavation museums' were established at the sites of former military camps - they were distinctive buildings that usually lay far from urban centres in small towns or in the countryside. In contrast to collections of Mediterranean art, they were intended as historical museums providing visitors with historical and cultural contexts.
According to the theoretical approach of the Collaborative Research Centre 644, 'Transformations of Antiquity', this process can be interpreted as appropriation. This involves a process of transformation in which an antique object - an archaeological finding or artefact - is taken from its original context and, essentially unchanged, becomes part of a contemporary museum presentation in which it is integrated into and interpreted by the receiving culture.
Dates: Thurs 26.03.2015 9:00 am - 6:00 pm
Location: Archäologisches Zentrum
Meeting point: Brugsch-Pascha-Saal
Archäologisches Zentrum
Geschwister-Scholl-Strasse 2 - 8
10117 Berlin
Registration: not required
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