Archaeological Study Collection

The American Academy in Rome maintains a rich and eclectic collection of about 9,000 archaeological artifacts available for study in the Norton Van Buren Seminar Room.  The collection includes pottery, from Greek geometric vases of the eighth century BC to Roman common ware of the later Empire, architectural terracottas, cinerary urns, votive objects, jewelry, coins, oil lamps, sculpture (in terracotta and stone, in relief and in the round), Etruscan mirrors, and samples of the most important ancient marble types. Particularly notable is the collection of over 200 inscriptions in Greek and (especially) Latin.

The collection was founded by Richard Norton, Professor of Archaeology (1897–99), and then Director (1899–1907) of the American School of Classical Studies in Rome (ASCSR, which later merged into the American Academy in Rome.) Albert W. Van Buren, FASCR’06, had a long career with the Academy as librarian (1913–26), associate professor of archaeology (1912–23), professor (1923–46), editor and curator of the AAR Museum (1927–16), and juridical custodian of the AAR during WWII. He and Gorham Phillips Stevens, Academy director (1912–13 and 1917–32), arranged the fragments for display in the Cortile and organized the collection, creating an inventory that reached no. 8,725 in 1946.

For more information or to schedule an appointment to view the collection, contact Dr. Valentina Follo, Curator.