Monday 7th December 2009
Dr Jack Green (Curator of the Ancient Near East Collections)
THE NEW ANCIENT NEAR EAST GALLERY AT THE ASHMOLEAN MUSEUM, OXFORD
This lecture presents an overview of the Ancient Near Eastern archaeological collections at the Ashmolean Museum from its humble beginnings to the present period of major change and innovation. The opening this year of the newly transformed Ashmolean provides an opportunity to look forward to the future, as well as back to the history of the Ancient Near East collections, from D.G. Hogarth's role as Keeper, assisted by T.E. Lawrence and Leonard Woolley in the early 20th century, to the four decades of research and publication facilitated and carried out by Dr Roger Moorey.
Between the 1920s and 1970s, the Ancient Near East collections underwent considerable expansion, due to its active role as a teaching and research collection, and as repository of finds from major British-led excavations in Iraq, Syria and Palestine. As a result, it includes important material from Kish and Nimrud, Al Mina and Tell Atchana, as well as those carried out at Kathleen Kenyon at Jericho and Jerusalem. The accessibility, representativeness and range of the Ancient Near East collection (rather than its size) has made it renowned throughout the world.
The old Drapers' gallery that housed the Ancient Near East collections in the Ashmolean is fondly remembered. However this gallery was difficult to find and in considerable need of updating. When the design of a new Ancient Near Eastern gallery began in 2007, there were many challenges, especially in terms of how the collection was to serve in teaching and research, as well as meeting the expectations of a new visitor audience. This lecture provides an overview of the new gallery of the Ancient Near East, and considers the future for Near Eastern archaeology in museums during changing times.
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