Pascha Recess; Updated Catalogue of the Books and Monographs in the CIG Library; Origins of the modern conservation of ancient bronzes

Greek Orthodox Pascha is fast approaching! For this major Christian holiday in this country we will take our annual Pascha Recess for two weeks. Thus, from today, Friday, the 11th, at 13:00, until Monday, April 28th, at 09:00, the Institute will be closed.

For those rabid blog junkies among you, next Friday, Megali Paraskevi, you can read Tanner’s guest blog on what he did here in Athens while he was our undergraduate intern for three months.

Some new acquisitions in the CIG library

What’s happening in the Library of the Institute
The Library is one of the key components that define the Institute. Its purpose is to serve the research needs of our members while in Athens and of other scholars, especially our Greek colleagues. As the Institute is only in its fourth decade the holdings of the Library cannot rival those of the older foreign schools and institutes of archaeology in Athens. The donation over the years of the personal libraries of Canadian scholars has enabled us to fill some of the gaps that we have. Exchanges with other institutions and donations by authors help to give us abreast of current publications over a broad range of subjects. Rather than attempt to duplicate the other libraries across the board, however, we have adopted a strategy to concentrate on purchasing materials in selected areas that we believe are unrepresented in the holdings of other libraries, such as archaeological theory and method, landscape archaeology, computer applications in archaeology, biological anthropology, ceramic analysis, faunal analysis, stone tool studies, and GIS. In addition, there are topics that our members have traditionally conducted research in, such as Boeotian and Euboean studies as well as Byzantine art and archaeology.

An opportunity presented itself recently to purchase volumes that we did not have in the Acta Instituti Atheniensis Regni Sueciae series , the Acta Instituti Athenisis Regni Sueciae series, the Studies in Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and the Studies in Mediterranean Archaeology Pocket books. These volumes have added depth especially to our Aegean Bronze Age holdings. Further, a gift of a number of volumes on a wide variety of topics, including reference works, was made by an American friend of the Institute who was returning to the States. These are the ways that a library’s holdings grow over time.

All of these acquisitions over the past year have been added to the updated Catalogue of Books and Monographs that is accessible from our website under “Facilities: Library”. Please check our holdings and then come to visit the Library to use what interests you!

Othon A. Rousopoulos

The origins of the conservation of ancient bronzes in Greece
Archaeometry or the use of various chemical and/or physical analysis techniques of archaeological remains or contexts is considered by many to be a relatively recent development in archaeological research. This is not the case, however. In the later 19th century a few scientists were interested in determining the chemical composition of ancient objects as well the processes for cleaning and preserving them. One such pioneer was a Greek professor of chemistry at the University of Athens, Dr. Othon Rousopoulos (1856-1922). In 1892 he invented the electrolysis method for cleaning bronzes. Among other activities he worked on cleaning the bronze objects recovered from the Antikythera shipwreck which are in the National Archaeological Museum.

Bbronze ephebe from the Antikythera shipwreck, National Museum, Athens

Georgiana Moraitou, department head of conservation for the 2nd Ephorate of Prehistoric and Classical Antiquities of the Hellenic Archaeological Service, will discuss Dr. Rousopoulos’ life and work in her lecture in Greek entitled, “Ο Όθων Α. Ρουσόπουλος και η συντήρηση των χάλκινων αρχαιοτήτων στο Εθνικό Αρχαιολογικό Μουσείο της Αθήνας στις αρχές του 20ου αιώνα. Φως μέσα από τα τεκμήρια του Ιστορικού Αρχείου της Αρχαιολογικής Υπηρεσίας”. It is based on her research in the archival material held by the Historical Archive.

This lecture will take place on Monday, April 14th at 18:30 at the Historical Archive at Psaromylingou 22 on the cusp of Kerameikos and Psyrri. It is part of the 2013/13 lecture series of the Syllogos Filon tou Istorikou Archeiou tis Archaiologikis Yperesias.

Kalo Pascha!
David Rupp
Director