Wim Hupperetz (1966) is currently director at Centre Ceramique and gthe Maastricht Museum , the Natural History Museum in Maastricht and part time professor on Museums, Heritage, and Digital Curation at the University of Amsterdam. He studied Ancient History and Provincial Roman Archaeology at Radboud University; in 2004 he defended his PhD thesis on a multidisciplinary research on The memory of a street at Tilburg University. He was curator in the Limburgs Museum for 16 years. He worked at the Netherlands Institute for Heritage as programme manager Heritage of Cultural Landscape and Urban Environment. In 2009 he became director of the Allard Pierson Museum, the archaeological museum of the University of Amsterdam. In 2017 he also became director of the Special Collections of the Library of the University of Amsterdam. He publishes on heritage studies, design, Roman archaeology, medieval castles, medieval/early modern pottery and material culture, museology and heritage studies. Professor by Special Appointment of the History of Dutch Culture, in particular the study of objects, in the Faculty of Humanities at the VU University (Amsterdam). The chair was established in 1990 on behalf of the Royal Antiquarian Society (Koninklijk Oudheidkundig Genootschap, KOG). Phone: +31 6 57930680 Address: Oude Turfmarkt 127
1012 GC Amsterdam
"Bes" - Aegyptiaca Kestneriana (AegKestner) Band / Vol. 2 (2020) - Publication in conjunction wit... more "Bes" - Aegyptiaca Kestneriana (AegKestner) Band / Vol. 2 (2020) - Publication in conjunction with the exhibition "Guter Dämon Bes - Schutzgott der Ägypter" (Good Demon Bes - Protector God of the Egyptians) at Museum August Kestner, Hannover / Germany (planned for 5 November 2020 - 11 April 2021, but never opened due to lockdown in times of pandemic) - for always the latest version see: www.aegyptiaca-kestneriana.de/b2/ - (in German)
Women, mostly young and elegant and often merged with nature, are everywhere in art nouveau: from... more Women, mostly young and elegant and often merged with nature, are everywhere in art nouveau: from commercial poster girls to allegorical figures, from conservative role models to icons of feminism—but rarely women of flesh and blood. The female artists who were able to stand their ground in the male-dominated world of art nouveau also used allegorical female figures. The fin de siècle was a period of incis ive change: urbanisation, the rise of mass consump tion and advertising, industrialisation, the class struggle, the women’s movement, the large-scale distribution of print. Artists and designers went in search of new forms; the new art, art nouveau, became popular throughout Europe as it was distributed through magazines and posters, but also through the world expositions which presented the latest applied art for the modern bourgeoisie to embellish their lives with. Goddesses of Art Nouveau sheds new light on an extraordinary era and on the question as to how the image of woman was used in paintings, spectacular jewellery, the Rolls-Royce mascot, advertising posters and book covers, made by women and men. The book also contains a selection of the most striking art-nouveau objects from the collections of the Allard Pierson in Amsterdam, the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, and the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum Braunschweig.
This publication presents the lessons learned from the European
collaboration project called ‘CE... more This publication presents the lessons learned from the European collaboration project called ‘CEMEC’ (Connecting Early Medieval European Collections), which took place between 2015 and 2019. It is aimed at our colleagues working in the field of cultural heritage: museum management and museum specialists, university specialists (interested in) collaborating with museums, and people in technical and creative companies with museums among their regular customers. The lessons we would like to share with you relate to inter-institutional and international collaboration, the organisation of travelling exhibitions, the development and user evaluations of digital applications, and last but not least: business-model innovation in museums. All those issues are central to the current operation of museums and to their future.
In Kastelen in Limburg. Burchten en landhuizen (1000-1800) worden van ruim 270 kastelen de bewoni... more In Kastelen in Limburg. Burchten en landhuizen (1000-1800) worden van ruim 270 kastelen de bewoningsgeschiedenis en de bouwgeschiedenis beschreven. Vele prenten, foto`s en kaarten geven een beeld van de rijkdom aan gebouwen en geschiedenis van Limburg. De kasteelbeschrijvingen worden voorafgegaan door inleidende artikelen van deskundigen over de staatkundige geschiedenis van Limburg, de bouwkundige ontwikkeling van kastelen, de inrichting van kastelen en de ontwikkeling van tuinen en landschap rond de kastelen. Met dit ruim 500 pagina`s tellend gebonden boekwerk, dat voorzien is van vele kleur en zwart-wit illustraties, beschikt u over een prachtig standaardwerk over het kastelenerfgoed in Limburg.
Het museum moet worden gezien als het medium van het geheugen. Dat betoogt Wim Hupperetz, directe... more Het museum moet worden gezien als het medium van het geheugen. Dat betoogt Wim Hupperetz, directeur van het Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam, in zijn oratie als bijzonder hoogleraar Nederlandse Cultuurgeschiedenis.
Er moet meer aandacht komen voor de biografie en herkomst van museale collecties vanwege het feit dat deze bepalend zijn voor de betekenis en impact. Daarvoor moet meer aandacht worden geschonken aan de biografie van objecten en verzamelaars en kan er een beter begrip ontstaan van de complexiteit van waarden die juist verbonden is aan museale objecten. Daarnaast is het voor musea van belang om de impact van nieuwe technologie zoals ‘The Internet of Things’ op de positie van de curator/conservator te onderzoeken.
Rol van de curator verandert Dit zijn de twee belangrijkste uitdagingen die Hupperetz in zijn betoog benoemt. De eerste is sterk verbonden met de actuele gebeurtenissen in Nederland zoals het naast elkaar bestaan van verschillende waardesystemen, die bijvoorbeeld tot uiting komt in de zwartepieten discussie. Hupperetz: “In feite is dit een overgang tussen de uitgangspunten van onze moderne samenleving en het postmoderne gedachtegoed, waarbij begrippen als ‘’waarheid’’ en ‘’werkelijkheid’’ geproblematiseerd worden en dat leidt tot veel onzekerheid en frustratie.” De andere uitdaging is verbonden met technologie zoals The Internet of Things, waarbij de rol van de curator onherroepelijk zal veranderen. Hupperetz: “Als museale collecties onderdeel worden van dat internet der dingen, dan wordt het selecteren en beoordelen overgenomen door de zoeksystemen die achter Amazon, Google en Facebook zitten en krijgen we een heel andere dynamiek.”
Vertaling post-moderniteit naar museale praktijk Hupperetz bouwt voort op de ideeën van zijn voorganger Ad de Jong, die zich in 2009 al afvroeg wanneer de volgende kentering in het museale domein zou komen. Hupperetz: “Naar mijn mening zitten we nog steeds middenin die kentering tussen modernisme en postmodernisme. De reflectie op de aloude moderniteit is cruciaal maar ook problematisch als het gaat om de vertaling naar de museale praktijk.” De leerstoel betreft in het bijzonder de studie der voorwerpen vanwege het Koninklijk Oudheidkundig Genootschap (KOG). In zijn onderzoek wil Wim Hupperetz duidelijk maken dat voorwerpen het voertuig zijn van ons collectief geheugen en als dynamisch erfgoed is de betekenis daarvan altijd in beweging. Hupperetz: “Het is simpelweg met de tijd meegaan. Dat klinkt eenvoudig, maar het betekent dat we ons open moeten stellen voor verandering, dat we nieuwsgierig zijn naar de ander, gevoelig zijn voor de biografie en diversiteit die besloten ligt in mensen en voorwerpen om ons heen. En dat is wat ik bedoel met het museum als medium van het geheugen.”
Over the course of this discourse, I have outlined in brief certain significant challenges facing... more Over the course of this discourse, I have outlined in brief certain significant challenges facing the museum of the 21st century. My predecessor, Ad de Jong, in 2009 queried when the next turning point in the museum domain would arrive. In my view, we still find ourselves on the turning point between modernism and postmodernism. Reflecting on now well-entrenched modernity is crucial, but also problematic when it comes to interpretation into museum praxis. The example of the clay seal with its likeness of Caesar makes clear that an entire world may lurk behind an apparently arbitrary object. The differing value systems of modernism and postmodernism exist alongside each other to a significant extent, but also regularly collide. How do we deal with this: do we want to go back to the past, do we cleave to what we have, or do we go with the times? I hope to have clarified that we constantly create our own past by whatever means, that we link that past to places and objects, and that this is inevitably and irrevocably bound up with collective memory. I have used Caesar’s clay seal as example. It reveals the different types of historical awareness and the difference in evaluation. That awareness is significant because it may be an ordering principle for museums. This chair concerns the study of objects and I have aimed to clarify that objects are the vehicle for our collective memory. Their meaning in terms of dynamic heritage is always in motion. I spoke about ‘going with the times’. That sounds so simple, but it means that we open ourselves to change, that we are curious about the other, sensitive to the biography and diversity locked up in the people and objects around us. We then arrive once more at the many-voiced and layered nature of our own identity. Our amnesia is irrevocable, and the things we do gather up or preserve seems arbitrary. When the temple archive in Edfu burnt down hundreds of documents were lost. The clay seals that remained and were preserved after the fire in my view symbolise the balance that we should strive for in heritage management. Here the three stations of past, present and future form a simple guideline. In the first place, the clay seal is an historical source, unlocking as an object different perspectives on Julius Caesar. At the same time it is important that we try to link this clay seal with the here and now. Just last year the seal was exhibited for the first time during the MuseumCamp at the Allard Pierson Museum. A publication is currently being prepared, and in the near future everyone will soon be able to make a 3D-print of it. This object will thereby provide inspiration for new generations, and new layers of meaning will grow. What is important is that we have to allow ourselves a reservoir. It took more than a century before the relevance and meaning of this clay seal were perceived. But here we confront another paradox: that of the digital storage of our recollections. The more we store digitally, the more vulnerable and evanescent our digital memory turns out to be. At the end of this lecture, I am afraid I have to confuse you a little. The clay seal with Caesar’s likeness has been the leitmotiv in my argument. But we do not know what Caesar really looked like by any means. Yes, we have coins depicting Caesar, but they are not uniform. And the likeness of sculpted portraits is still debated. Nevertheless, there is an image of Caesar in our collective memory, and so also in this museum object. In any event, this clay seal impression participates in our perception. And that is what I mean by the museum as medium of memory.
On the 23 September 2014, after 2000 years from Augustus death, 13 countries have met in Rome, Am... more On the 23 September 2014, after 2000 years from Augustus death, 13 countries have met in Rome, Amsterdam, Alexandria and Sarajevo, for the opening of an extraordinary exhibition, “Keys to Rome”: an interactive journey to discover Roman Culture, starting from the city of Augustus and reaching the entire Roman Empire, through the visit to 4 fascinating venues, 4 museums with their archaeological collections, more than 10 different technologies supporting and enhancing this global experience.This is more than an exhibition on Roman archaeology. "Keys To Rome" is a unique international exhibition, that, for the first time is organized in parallel in four locations:Rome, in the wonderful setting of the Imperial Fora Museum (Museo dei Fori Imperiali);Alexandria, in the Antiquities Museums of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; Amsterdam, in the recently renovated Allard Pierson Museum; and Sarajevo, in the newly restored City Hall (Vijecnica) and in the Sarajevo Museum.
Allard Pierson Museum exhibit catalogue published in conjunction with the opening of the redesign... more Allard Pierson Museum exhibit catalogue published in conjunction with the opening of the redesigned installation of the Roman gallery.
Rome has always been synonymous with an immense empire built on conquest and military power. It i... more Rome has always been synonymous with an immense empire built on conquest and military power. It is our historical touchstone in a political, administrative and military sense, and lies at the foundation of our culture. When we think of Rome, we think of emperors (preferably mad) and gladiators (usually exotic). But what does Rome look like if we try to escape these stereotypes?
This book wants to show readers a different image of Rome, an image characterised first and foremost by the diversity of the Roman world. We can only understand that diversity if we study the Roman world as a whole – not split into east and west or into provinces – and in the context of world history. We will do so by looking into seven themes that together offer a comprehensive overview in which dynamics and change are the central concepts. In order to shed light on the local aspect, we will focus on three regions which are Roman in their very own and unmistakeable ways: the Italian peninsula, Egypt, and the Low Countries.
The Roman Empire has many faces. Some of the more important ones will be singled out here, creating a kaleidoscopic image of a changing world and a new image of the Roman Empire that will help to set rusty views in motion again.
"Etruscanning was a close collaboration between museum curators, archaeologists,software develope... more "Etruscanning was a close collaboration between museum curators, archaeologists,software developers, interactive designers, exhibition designers,specialists in storytelling, consultants in digitization and digitalrestoration, evaluation specialists and many others who contributed their knowledge and expertise to the project. This list of collaborators shows how this innovative project went beyond many traditional borders and domains. Within the project, we were able to establish an international cooperation in digital acquisition, digital restoration, and 3D representation.
Through exhibitions, blogs, videos, and publications, we were able to realize a new approach to the communication of Etruscan tombs and collections in exhibitions in the Netherlands and Belgium. At the end of the project, the final resulting applications will be installed for permanentuse in the Vatican Museums, Villa Giulia (Rome, IT) and Museum Formello (Veio, IT). Furthermore, this project proved that it is possible to enable and support cultural heritage institutions to create, run and exchange digital 3D reconstructions."
Wim Hupperetz, The memory of a street. Eight-hundred years of living in the Visserstraat in Breda... more Wim Hupperetz, The memory of a street. Eight-hundred years of living in the Visserstraat in Breda
Summary [PhD thesis 2004 published by Matrijs (2004)
This research project is aimed at telling the story of the residents of a street located in an historical city centre. For this purpose, the history of the occupants of the houses in the Visserstraat, located in the city of Breda, has been studied. What have been the changes that the Visserstraat has been through in a spatial-fysical matter, in a social-economical matter or in the sense of the housing culture since the establishment of its first residents in the twelfth century, through to the commencement of the twenty-first century? These research questions are to be addressed in this dissertation.
The conducted study did not only yield interesting results with respect to the content of the findings – these will be elaborated upon in chapter seven – but it also led to a methodological quest aimed at answering four main questions. First of all, research efforts were aimed at establishing the size and span of the memory of one specific street, the Visserstraat in Breda. Two aspects can be distinguished for this purpose: the social-cultural proceedings and the spatial-fysical objects. Of both aspects sources are provided that can be used as the fundaments of a memory. In turn that memory can give rise to specific recollections that are closely related to historical notions. Three sorts of historical notions can be specified, which can be linked to three different time-levels, as described by Braudel. In the description of the history of residence in this street I will use this specification for providing structure. This study thus also provides insights into the availability of different sources. Because of the current academic tradition the possibilities of combining research results provided by distinct disciplines remains under utilized.
While establishing the size and span of the memory, the possibilities for gathering information on the micro-level of houses and street facts were also assessed. Following a micro-historical approach, the street and two construction blocks were studied in detail. Limiting the scope of research is an analytical principle that has a special added value if data are collected from different disciplines. Archaeological findings and historical data regarding construction then allow a much more precise dating as well as a more precise meaning. Naturally, these sources regarding the micro-level of houses and streets were not available for all periods. For this reason, the developments in the twelfth and thirteenth century are described at a city-level.
In second place, this study has tried to explore the boundaries of an integrated approach. This refers to the fact that data have been gathered and interpreted from the scope of various disciplines, ultimately yielding to combined results that show the social-economical, living-culture and urban development. It is even one more step to arrive at an interdisciplinary approach which allows the combination of results beforehand. For the ordering of the different disciplines and ways of study a distinction was made between three approaches, namely an object-oriented approach, a society-oriented approach which emphasizes the human being, and an ethnological approach. The distinction between the first two will be evident; the difference between the first two and the last approach lies in the fact that the ethnological approach relates the found data to the current state, thus placing a greater emphasis on their contextual meaning. Besides, it is not likely to state that these approaches could be used independently, as ethnological studies are often based on studies of materials, or on the results of social-economical studies. Conversely, ethnological concepts and interpretations are often tested using the ‘hard data’ of the other two disciplines.
Thirdly, the long-term perspective was studied, as the gathered data refer to eight-hundred years of history. For ordering the data the classification as event-, conjectural- and structural aspects was restored. In the Chapters two trough six, different objects and events are described. Each chapter refers to a time-span of two-hundred years, allowing the surface of the most important conjunctures. These are described in Chapter seven using an integrated approach where possible. In the cultural-historical analysis the structural elements of the studied area were brought to light. With respect to the spatial-physical matters, the parcellation, the structure of the construction blocks and the body of the houses were used as structural elements. With respect to the social-cultural aspects, the usage of the residences is the structural element, which can change of meaning depending on the conjectural state.
The fourth question refers to the possibilities of implementation of the cultural-historical analysis for cultural urban planning of the historical city centres. With respect to this implementation, a gap can be stated between the work of the historians and the specialists from urban development. This gap is the result of a lack of attention for:
- the social-cultural perspective of the inhabitants on the part of the urban development specialists
- the built environment by the historians
The memory of a street and the cultural-historical analysis can be used to aid the enduring debate regarding tradition and modernization, as it is conducted within the sector of the preservation of monuments and historic buildings and Urban Development, especially with respect to historical city centres. The tasks at the crossroads of these two disciplines, are currently being delegated to the discipline of Cultural Urban Planning. It is important to provide this relatively new discipline with a new content which ensures the conduction of studies from a truly integrated and multidisciplinary perspective.
The memory of a house: transcriptions on archival sources on the house 'De Drie moren' Visserstra... more The memory of a house: transcriptions on archival sources on the house 'De Drie moren' Visserstraat 31, Breda. Belongs to PhD thesis The memory of a street, eighthundred years living in the Visserstraat, Breda.
The memory of a house: Report on the archaeology and building history of the house 'De Drie Moren... more The memory of a house: Report on the archaeology and building history of the house 'De Drie Moren', Visserstrat 31, Breda.
Belongs to teh PhD thesis by Wim Hupperetz
CERAMICS FROM A CESSPIT BELONGING TO THE INN 'DE DRYE MOOREN' AT BREDA (1661-1663)
The cesspit wa... more CERAMICS FROM A CESSPIT BELONGING TO THE INN 'DE DRYE MOOREN' AT BREDA (1661-1663) The cesspit was discovered during the restoration of a Breda house called 'De Drye Mooren', 'The Three Moors'. During the 17th century an inn was kept in the house, which was owned by the Breda Reformed Church and its 'Table of the Holy Ghost' (poor relief) from 1626 to 1703. In the church wardens accounts repairs and extensions to the building are mentioned. In the year 1663 the house was extended backwards. The outer wall of this extention closed the cesspit. That fact provides a datum ante quem. From the same accounts it appears that the pit was cleaned regularly, the last time before 1663 being after October lOth, 1661, the datum post quem. Apart from a small number of objects left behind by the cleaners, the vast majority of the objects must have been dumped between late 1661 and sometime during 1663. As it is very likely that ceramic objects of an inn generally have a shorter lifespan than those from an ordinary household, many of the objects found were not much older than 1660. The numerous remains of the extremely fragile clay pipes is another corroboration of this dating. Of the 85 pipe bowls 49 bear marks, many of them of known local pipemakers. The differentiation in pottery types found in the cesspit is rather typical for an inn: 50 out of 137 ceramic items were plates of one kind or another, 84 drinking glasses were counted (not published here), but only 11 pipkins. The number of stoneware jugs is not very large (13) which suggests that pewter jugs were used more frequently; an inventory of 1678 bears out this suggestion. In percentages: 70% of the pottery was used on the table, only 14% in the kitchen.
Countryside between Colonia Ulpia Traiana (Xanten) and Atuatuca Tungrorum (Tongeren): The Limburg... more Countryside between Colonia Ulpia Traiana (Xanten) and Atuatuca Tungrorum (Tongeren): The Limburg Meuse Valley in the Roman Period.
Wim Hupperetz
The region of the Limburg Meuse valley (Middenlimburgse Maasdal) was during the conquest excursions of Ceasar part of the civitas of the Eburones, which was led by the kings Ambiorix and Catuvulcus. A civitas was divided into pagi (Ambivariti?) who had a fairly autonomous political and religious position. The agricultural economy of the Eburones was vulnarable to internal warfare; the creation of reinforced settlements, stock shaping and the mobilisation of valuable resources was a way to limit this vulnarability Reinforced settlements are not known from the Limburg Meuse valley. Both the settlement pattern as the burial ritual were uniformal which suggests an egalitarian social structure. Due to the conquest raids of Caesar the Eburonian territory was depopulated and newcomers established themselves during the reign of Augustus in the valley of Rhine and Meuse. According to the second century situation a mayor part of the Limbug Meuse Valley was part of the territory of the Cugerni or Ciberni and the Baetasii. This region was inhabited by German newcomers but there must have been some rest groups of Eburonians living there. Furthermore was the Limburg Meuse valley (especially the surroundings of Tongeren) inhabited by immigrants from the Southern regions (the territory of the Treveri?) who were starting villa-farms. From Augusteian time until the beginning of the second century the civitas organisation was established, strongly directed by the central government. The introduction of the Roman civitas model probably took place in the middle of the first century. One of the causes of the poor interaction between traders (import goods) and the domestic consumers will have been the lack of a monetary economy. Whereas soldiers (Venlo and Ophoven?) more were more Romanized and had money and contacts, currency money in the domestic settlements played a marginal role. A thorough adaptation of the agricultural system was still not the case in the first century. Probably the internal war sheathing and the fact that large parts of the male population had to serve in the Roman army had an important impact on the domestic economy. The administrative and economic developments called undoubtedly large capacitances within the domestic society. It is however still unclear if the Batavian revolt can be considered primarily as a consequence of these capacitances. Although the military presence at the Rhine border was increased directly after the Batavian revolt, the province Germania Inferior got gradually a more civil character; between 83-90 this province was transformed to a formal (border) province and in 98/99 the Colonia Ulpia Traiana were founded. This city formed the administrative and economic centre of the civitas Traianensium, to which the largest part of the Limburg Meuse valley belonged. Within the rural society in this area two socio-political entities can be distinguished. The small group of villa-owners and soldiers were the most Romanized part of the population, and can be considered as the local elite. A number of persons and families from this group will have taken part in the governing board of the civitas. The strong Romanization becomes clear - among other things - from the fact that this elite was formed by Roman citizen who fulfilled administrative functions, had Roman names, who dedicated in the local sanctuaries and depicted themselves on wall paintings such as in the villa of Maasbracht. Furthermore a large group of the domestic population can be distinguished. This group was organized within the pagus. The close link between the inhabitants of the pagus Catualinus and a villa owner and driver of the Colonia Ulpia Traiana, indicate that the pagani in this way had possibilities to enter directly to the levels of decision-making of the civitas government. It seems that this large group was dependent on the local elite. Within this group of native rural populations - on the basis of the settlement model - an overall bipartition can be made. The inhabitants of the vici seem to take a different place beside the inhabitants of native agrarian settlements. Because of the economic position of the vici (local market function) the Romanizing influence was stronger. The quantitative comparison of the grave finds in the Limburg Meuse valley is suggesting a difference; the average number of given pieces pottery by grave lies in the vici three times as high as in the native agrarian settlements. It is possible that these vici were controlled by a number of magistri. The native agrarian settlements stood at the basis of the settlement hierarchy within the civitas Traianensium and were characterized by agrarian production on a small scale; these settlements were probably limited incorporated in the Roman market economy. In the local cult places - which functioned at the same level as native agrarian settlements - the smaller degree of Romanization is reflected. The introduction of the villae and the vici can be considered as a direct consequence of the economic changes. The villae rusticae produced for a central market and replaced the small scale farming partly. The vici played a role as local market and show the presence of specialized craftsmen as smiths and potters. Currency money seems to have played an important role in vici, in contrast to the native agrarian settlements where it fulfilled a marginal role. In the terra sigillata trade the Rhine played an important role as a supply route. Possibly the distribution of terra sigillata was centrally organized from certain points within the civitas (head places?). The import multiplied by five in the period 115-135 AD. in the middle of the second century terra sigillata was available in most of the settlements. Distribution of ordinary earthenware (mortars, goblets from Tongeren) and tiles was organized via the Meuse and seems to be organized in contrast to the terra sigillata trade, which was organized central. As from the end of the second century a decline of habitation of the Limburg Meuse valley is visible (grave fields). The exact causes (economic/ecological causes, raids?) are unclear; the disadvantageous impact of this development does not seem have touched the villa-system substantial. The most of the villae were abandoned during the Frankish raids around 275, which also marked the end of the villa economy in the Limburg Meuse valley. At the end of the third century a period of recovery and reorganizations followed under Diocletian. The administrative reorganization caused - among other things - that the civitas Traianensium became part of the province Germania Secunda; furthermore the taxes were regularly levied and had to be paid in kind. As a result of the new defense (depth) strategy along the Meuse some settlements were reinforced (Cuijk, Maastricht, Heel?, Stokkem?). The new Frankish raids from c. 340 resulted in 351/2 the end of the Colonia Ulpia Traiana and this caused also the end of the civitas Traianensium. The Roman governing board lost control of the Rhine area more and more during the middle of the fourth century and approximately 370 the province Germania Secunda was not functioning anymore. The areas of the Batavi and the Traianenses were opened for Frankish immigrants. The nature and the function of the new settlements in the Limburg Meuse valley are unclear. At the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century there is increased activity at the border areas again; in 402 the Roman troops were called back to Italy and there came an end at 450 years Roman presence in northern Gaul. Probably the Limburg Meuse valley was depopulated in 402 in the same way as it was depopulated after Caesar left in 51 BCE. It would last up to the sixth century before the occupation increased in the Limburg Meuse valley as a result of Merovingian newcomers.
1673 Maastricht - The Sun King conquers the city., 2023
After the siege of Maastricht in 1673, in which some 1,000 dead and missing were recorded, the or... more After the siege of Maastricht in 1673, in which some 1,000 dead and missing were recorded, the original garrison of around 5,000 men still consisted of 2,231 State infantrymen, 125 men of Italian infantry, over 400 Republic horsemen and 350 Spanish horsemen. One of the deceased was lieutenant William (or William) Norwood. He was part of a group of 229 officers who died during died during the siege. Senior officers from the army of the Dutch Republic also died in Maastricht, such as William Sandilands, Johan van Paffenrode, Ferdinand Cary and Andries Commersteijn. Willem Norwood defended the fortress as an officer on the State side and was killed on 25 June 1673. He was about 50 at the time.
Worldwide about a thousand mummy portraits
mummy portraits from Roman Egypt, which have
have beco... more Worldwide about a thousand mummy portraits mummy portraits from Roman Egypt, which have have become scattered across hundreds of museum and private collections. Most of the portraits were painted on wood and placed in the place of the face on the mummy. About 5% of these portraits were painted on textiles, usually canvas. The Allard Pierson owns six Roman-Egyptian mummy portraits, including one on linen. About that portrait is this article.
Fragments &Frictions gaat over visies op archeologie. Archeologische objecten zijn dragers van e... more Fragments &Frictions gaat over visies op archeologie. Archeologische objecten zijn dragers van een ver en (ver)vreemd(end) verleden. In enkele casestudies wordt op prikkelende en verrassende wijze de biografie van archeologische objecten blootgelegd.
Since 2019 the University of Amsterdam heritage collections are in the care of the Allard Pierso... more Since 2019 the University of Amsterdam heritage collections are in the care of the Allard Pierson, the amalgamation of the Allard Pierson Museum and the university’s Special Collections. They include renowned collections in the fields of archaeology, the history of the book, cartography, graphic design, literature, Jewish cultural history, natural history, and the performing arts. Especially the Graphic Design and Performing Arts collections abound with posters and other objects from art nouveau. During the preparations for the exhibition Goddesses of Art Nouveau, the style was the subject of a search in and selection from the collections for the first time. This led to amazing finds, some of which are now exhibited for the first time. Many of these objects were given a special conservation treatment first.
"Bes" - Aegyptiaca Kestneriana (AegKestner) Band / Vol. 2 (2020) - Publication in conjunction wit... more "Bes" - Aegyptiaca Kestneriana (AegKestner) Band / Vol. 2 (2020) - Publication in conjunction with the exhibition "Guter Dämon Bes - Schutzgott der Ägypter" (Good Demon Bes - Protector God of the Egyptians) at Museum August Kestner, Hannover / Germany (planned for 5 November 2020 - 11 April 2021, but never opened due to lockdown in times of pandemic) - for always the latest version see: www.aegyptiaca-kestneriana.de/b2/ - (in German)
Women, mostly young and elegant and often merged with nature, are everywhere in art nouveau: from... more Women, mostly young and elegant and often merged with nature, are everywhere in art nouveau: from commercial poster girls to allegorical figures, from conservative role models to icons of feminism—but rarely women of flesh and blood. The female artists who were able to stand their ground in the male-dominated world of art nouveau also used allegorical female figures. The fin de siècle was a period of incis ive change: urbanisation, the rise of mass consump tion and advertising, industrialisation, the class struggle, the women’s movement, the large-scale distribution of print. Artists and designers went in search of new forms; the new art, art nouveau, became popular throughout Europe as it was distributed through magazines and posters, but also through the world expositions which presented the latest applied art for the modern bourgeoisie to embellish their lives with. Goddesses of Art Nouveau sheds new light on an extraordinary era and on the question as to how the image of woman was used in paintings, spectacular jewellery, the Rolls-Royce mascot, advertising posters and book covers, made by women and men. The book also contains a selection of the most striking art-nouveau objects from the collections of the Allard Pierson in Amsterdam, the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, and the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum Braunschweig.
This publication presents the lessons learned from the European
collaboration project called ‘CE... more This publication presents the lessons learned from the European collaboration project called ‘CEMEC’ (Connecting Early Medieval European Collections), which took place between 2015 and 2019. It is aimed at our colleagues working in the field of cultural heritage: museum management and museum specialists, university specialists (interested in) collaborating with museums, and people in technical and creative companies with museums among their regular customers. The lessons we would like to share with you relate to inter-institutional and international collaboration, the organisation of travelling exhibitions, the development and user evaluations of digital applications, and last but not least: business-model innovation in museums. All those issues are central to the current operation of museums and to their future.
In Kastelen in Limburg. Burchten en landhuizen (1000-1800) worden van ruim 270 kastelen de bewoni... more In Kastelen in Limburg. Burchten en landhuizen (1000-1800) worden van ruim 270 kastelen de bewoningsgeschiedenis en de bouwgeschiedenis beschreven. Vele prenten, foto`s en kaarten geven een beeld van de rijkdom aan gebouwen en geschiedenis van Limburg. De kasteelbeschrijvingen worden voorafgegaan door inleidende artikelen van deskundigen over de staatkundige geschiedenis van Limburg, de bouwkundige ontwikkeling van kastelen, de inrichting van kastelen en de ontwikkeling van tuinen en landschap rond de kastelen. Met dit ruim 500 pagina`s tellend gebonden boekwerk, dat voorzien is van vele kleur en zwart-wit illustraties, beschikt u over een prachtig standaardwerk over het kastelenerfgoed in Limburg.
Het museum moet worden gezien als het medium van het geheugen. Dat betoogt Wim Hupperetz, directe... more Het museum moet worden gezien als het medium van het geheugen. Dat betoogt Wim Hupperetz, directeur van het Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam, in zijn oratie als bijzonder hoogleraar Nederlandse Cultuurgeschiedenis.
Er moet meer aandacht komen voor de biografie en herkomst van museale collecties vanwege het feit dat deze bepalend zijn voor de betekenis en impact. Daarvoor moet meer aandacht worden geschonken aan de biografie van objecten en verzamelaars en kan er een beter begrip ontstaan van de complexiteit van waarden die juist verbonden is aan museale objecten. Daarnaast is het voor musea van belang om de impact van nieuwe technologie zoals ‘The Internet of Things’ op de positie van de curator/conservator te onderzoeken.
Rol van de curator verandert Dit zijn de twee belangrijkste uitdagingen die Hupperetz in zijn betoog benoemt. De eerste is sterk verbonden met de actuele gebeurtenissen in Nederland zoals het naast elkaar bestaan van verschillende waardesystemen, die bijvoorbeeld tot uiting komt in de zwartepieten discussie. Hupperetz: “In feite is dit een overgang tussen de uitgangspunten van onze moderne samenleving en het postmoderne gedachtegoed, waarbij begrippen als ‘’waarheid’’ en ‘’werkelijkheid’’ geproblematiseerd worden en dat leidt tot veel onzekerheid en frustratie.” De andere uitdaging is verbonden met technologie zoals The Internet of Things, waarbij de rol van de curator onherroepelijk zal veranderen. Hupperetz: “Als museale collecties onderdeel worden van dat internet der dingen, dan wordt het selecteren en beoordelen overgenomen door de zoeksystemen die achter Amazon, Google en Facebook zitten en krijgen we een heel andere dynamiek.”
Vertaling post-moderniteit naar museale praktijk Hupperetz bouwt voort op de ideeën van zijn voorganger Ad de Jong, die zich in 2009 al afvroeg wanneer de volgende kentering in het museale domein zou komen. Hupperetz: “Naar mijn mening zitten we nog steeds middenin die kentering tussen modernisme en postmodernisme. De reflectie op de aloude moderniteit is cruciaal maar ook problematisch als het gaat om de vertaling naar de museale praktijk.” De leerstoel betreft in het bijzonder de studie der voorwerpen vanwege het Koninklijk Oudheidkundig Genootschap (KOG). In zijn onderzoek wil Wim Hupperetz duidelijk maken dat voorwerpen het voertuig zijn van ons collectief geheugen en als dynamisch erfgoed is de betekenis daarvan altijd in beweging. Hupperetz: “Het is simpelweg met de tijd meegaan. Dat klinkt eenvoudig, maar het betekent dat we ons open moeten stellen voor verandering, dat we nieuwsgierig zijn naar de ander, gevoelig zijn voor de biografie en diversiteit die besloten ligt in mensen en voorwerpen om ons heen. En dat is wat ik bedoel met het museum als medium van het geheugen.”
Over the course of this discourse, I have outlined in brief certain significant challenges facing... more Over the course of this discourse, I have outlined in brief certain significant challenges facing the museum of the 21st century. My predecessor, Ad de Jong, in 2009 queried when the next turning point in the museum domain would arrive. In my view, we still find ourselves on the turning point between modernism and postmodernism. Reflecting on now well-entrenched modernity is crucial, but also problematic when it comes to interpretation into museum praxis. The example of the clay seal with its likeness of Caesar makes clear that an entire world may lurk behind an apparently arbitrary object. The differing value systems of modernism and postmodernism exist alongside each other to a significant extent, but also regularly collide. How do we deal with this: do we want to go back to the past, do we cleave to what we have, or do we go with the times? I hope to have clarified that we constantly create our own past by whatever means, that we link that past to places and objects, and that this is inevitably and irrevocably bound up with collective memory. I have used Caesar’s clay seal as example. It reveals the different types of historical awareness and the difference in evaluation. That awareness is significant because it may be an ordering principle for museums. This chair concerns the study of objects and I have aimed to clarify that objects are the vehicle for our collective memory. Their meaning in terms of dynamic heritage is always in motion. I spoke about ‘going with the times’. That sounds so simple, but it means that we open ourselves to change, that we are curious about the other, sensitive to the biography and diversity locked up in the people and objects around us. We then arrive once more at the many-voiced and layered nature of our own identity. Our amnesia is irrevocable, and the things we do gather up or preserve seems arbitrary. When the temple archive in Edfu burnt down hundreds of documents were lost. The clay seals that remained and were preserved after the fire in my view symbolise the balance that we should strive for in heritage management. Here the three stations of past, present and future form a simple guideline. In the first place, the clay seal is an historical source, unlocking as an object different perspectives on Julius Caesar. At the same time it is important that we try to link this clay seal with the here and now. Just last year the seal was exhibited for the first time during the MuseumCamp at the Allard Pierson Museum. A publication is currently being prepared, and in the near future everyone will soon be able to make a 3D-print of it. This object will thereby provide inspiration for new generations, and new layers of meaning will grow. What is important is that we have to allow ourselves a reservoir. It took more than a century before the relevance and meaning of this clay seal were perceived. But here we confront another paradox: that of the digital storage of our recollections. The more we store digitally, the more vulnerable and evanescent our digital memory turns out to be. At the end of this lecture, I am afraid I have to confuse you a little. The clay seal with Caesar’s likeness has been the leitmotiv in my argument. But we do not know what Caesar really looked like by any means. Yes, we have coins depicting Caesar, but they are not uniform. And the likeness of sculpted portraits is still debated. Nevertheless, there is an image of Caesar in our collective memory, and so also in this museum object. In any event, this clay seal impression participates in our perception. And that is what I mean by the museum as medium of memory.
On the 23 September 2014, after 2000 years from Augustus death, 13 countries have met in Rome, Am... more On the 23 September 2014, after 2000 years from Augustus death, 13 countries have met in Rome, Amsterdam, Alexandria and Sarajevo, for the opening of an extraordinary exhibition, “Keys to Rome”: an interactive journey to discover Roman Culture, starting from the city of Augustus and reaching the entire Roman Empire, through the visit to 4 fascinating venues, 4 museums with their archaeological collections, more than 10 different technologies supporting and enhancing this global experience.This is more than an exhibition on Roman archaeology. "Keys To Rome" is a unique international exhibition, that, for the first time is organized in parallel in four locations:Rome, in the wonderful setting of the Imperial Fora Museum (Museo dei Fori Imperiali);Alexandria, in the Antiquities Museums of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; Amsterdam, in the recently renovated Allard Pierson Museum; and Sarajevo, in the newly restored City Hall (Vijecnica) and in the Sarajevo Museum.
Allard Pierson Museum exhibit catalogue published in conjunction with the opening of the redesign... more Allard Pierson Museum exhibit catalogue published in conjunction with the opening of the redesigned installation of the Roman gallery.
Rome has always been synonymous with an immense empire built on conquest and military power. It i... more Rome has always been synonymous with an immense empire built on conquest and military power. It is our historical touchstone in a political, administrative and military sense, and lies at the foundation of our culture. When we think of Rome, we think of emperors (preferably mad) and gladiators (usually exotic). But what does Rome look like if we try to escape these stereotypes?
This book wants to show readers a different image of Rome, an image characterised first and foremost by the diversity of the Roman world. We can only understand that diversity if we study the Roman world as a whole – not split into east and west or into provinces – and in the context of world history. We will do so by looking into seven themes that together offer a comprehensive overview in which dynamics and change are the central concepts. In order to shed light on the local aspect, we will focus on three regions which are Roman in their very own and unmistakeable ways: the Italian peninsula, Egypt, and the Low Countries.
The Roman Empire has many faces. Some of the more important ones will be singled out here, creating a kaleidoscopic image of a changing world and a new image of the Roman Empire that will help to set rusty views in motion again.
"Etruscanning was a close collaboration between museum curators, archaeologists,software develope... more "Etruscanning was a close collaboration between museum curators, archaeologists,software developers, interactive designers, exhibition designers,specialists in storytelling, consultants in digitization and digitalrestoration, evaluation specialists and many others who contributed their knowledge and expertise to the project. This list of collaborators shows how this innovative project went beyond many traditional borders and domains. Within the project, we were able to establish an international cooperation in digital acquisition, digital restoration, and 3D representation.
Through exhibitions, blogs, videos, and publications, we were able to realize a new approach to the communication of Etruscan tombs and collections in exhibitions in the Netherlands and Belgium. At the end of the project, the final resulting applications will be installed for permanentuse in the Vatican Museums, Villa Giulia (Rome, IT) and Museum Formello (Veio, IT). Furthermore, this project proved that it is possible to enable and support cultural heritage institutions to create, run and exchange digital 3D reconstructions."
Wim Hupperetz, The memory of a street. Eight-hundred years of living in the Visserstraat in Breda... more Wim Hupperetz, The memory of a street. Eight-hundred years of living in the Visserstraat in Breda
Summary [PhD thesis 2004 published by Matrijs (2004)
This research project is aimed at telling the story of the residents of a street located in an historical city centre. For this purpose, the history of the occupants of the houses in the Visserstraat, located in the city of Breda, has been studied. What have been the changes that the Visserstraat has been through in a spatial-fysical matter, in a social-economical matter or in the sense of the housing culture since the establishment of its first residents in the twelfth century, through to the commencement of the twenty-first century? These research questions are to be addressed in this dissertation.
The conducted study did not only yield interesting results with respect to the content of the findings – these will be elaborated upon in chapter seven – but it also led to a methodological quest aimed at answering four main questions. First of all, research efforts were aimed at establishing the size and span of the memory of one specific street, the Visserstraat in Breda. Two aspects can be distinguished for this purpose: the social-cultural proceedings and the spatial-fysical objects. Of both aspects sources are provided that can be used as the fundaments of a memory. In turn that memory can give rise to specific recollections that are closely related to historical notions. Three sorts of historical notions can be specified, which can be linked to three different time-levels, as described by Braudel. In the description of the history of residence in this street I will use this specification for providing structure. This study thus also provides insights into the availability of different sources. Because of the current academic tradition the possibilities of combining research results provided by distinct disciplines remains under utilized.
While establishing the size and span of the memory, the possibilities for gathering information on the micro-level of houses and street facts were also assessed. Following a micro-historical approach, the street and two construction blocks were studied in detail. Limiting the scope of research is an analytical principle that has a special added value if data are collected from different disciplines. Archaeological findings and historical data regarding construction then allow a much more precise dating as well as a more precise meaning. Naturally, these sources regarding the micro-level of houses and streets were not available for all periods. For this reason, the developments in the twelfth and thirteenth century are described at a city-level.
In second place, this study has tried to explore the boundaries of an integrated approach. This refers to the fact that data have been gathered and interpreted from the scope of various disciplines, ultimately yielding to combined results that show the social-economical, living-culture and urban development. It is even one more step to arrive at an interdisciplinary approach which allows the combination of results beforehand. For the ordering of the different disciplines and ways of study a distinction was made between three approaches, namely an object-oriented approach, a society-oriented approach which emphasizes the human being, and an ethnological approach. The distinction between the first two will be evident; the difference between the first two and the last approach lies in the fact that the ethnological approach relates the found data to the current state, thus placing a greater emphasis on their contextual meaning. Besides, it is not likely to state that these approaches could be used independently, as ethnological studies are often based on studies of materials, or on the results of social-economical studies. Conversely, ethnological concepts and interpretations are often tested using the ‘hard data’ of the other two disciplines.
Thirdly, the long-term perspective was studied, as the gathered data refer to eight-hundred years of history. For ordering the data the classification as event-, conjectural- and structural aspects was restored. In the Chapters two trough six, different objects and events are described. Each chapter refers to a time-span of two-hundred years, allowing the surface of the most important conjunctures. These are described in Chapter seven using an integrated approach where possible. In the cultural-historical analysis the structural elements of the studied area were brought to light. With respect to the spatial-physical matters, the parcellation, the structure of the construction blocks and the body of the houses were used as structural elements. With respect to the social-cultural aspects, the usage of the residences is the structural element, which can change of meaning depending on the conjectural state.
The fourth question refers to the possibilities of implementation of the cultural-historical analysis for cultural urban planning of the historical city centres. With respect to this implementation, a gap can be stated between the work of the historians and the specialists from urban development. This gap is the result of a lack of attention for:
- the social-cultural perspective of the inhabitants on the part of the urban development specialists
- the built environment by the historians
The memory of a street and the cultural-historical analysis can be used to aid the enduring debate regarding tradition and modernization, as it is conducted within the sector of the preservation of monuments and historic buildings and Urban Development, especially with respect to historical city centres. The tasks at the crossroads of these two disciplines, are currently being delegated to the discipline of Cultural Urban Planning. It is important to provide this relatively new discipline with a new content which ensures the conduction of studies from a truly integrated and multidisciplinary perspective.
The memory of a house: transcriptions on archival sources on the house 'De Drie moren' Visserstra... more The memory of a house: transcriptions on archival sources on the house 'De Drie moren' Visserstraat 31, Breda. Belongs to PhD thesis The memory of a street, eighthundred years living in the Visserstraat, Breda.
The memory of a house: Report on the archaeology and building history of the house 'De Drie Moren... more The memory of a house: Report on the archaeology and building history of the house 'De Drie Moren', Visserstrat 31, Breda.
Belongs to teh PhD thesis by Wim Hupperetz
CERAMICS FROM A CESSPIT BELONGING TO THE INN 'DE DRYE MOOREN' AT BREDA (1661-1663)
The cesspit wa... more CERAMICS FROM A CESSPIT BELONGING TO THE INN 'DE DRYE MOOREN' AT BREDA (1661-1663) The cesspit was discovered during the restoration of a Breda house called 'De Drye Mooren', 'The Three Moors'. During the 17th century an inn was kept in the house, which was owned by the Breda Reformed Church and its 'Table of the Holy Ghost' (poor relief) from 1626 to 1703. In the church wardens accounts repairs and extensions to the building are mentioned. In the year 1663 the house was extended backwards. The outer wall of this extention closed the cesspit. That fact provides a datum ante quem. From the same accounts it appears that the pit was cleaned regularly, the last time before 1663 being after October lOth, 1661, the datum post quem. Apart from a small number of objects left behind by the cleaners, the vast majority of the objects must have been dumped between late 1661 and sometime during 1663. As it is very likely that ceramic objects of an inn generally have a shorter lifespan than those from an ordinary household, many of the objects found were not much older than 1660. The numerous remains of the extremely fragile clay pipes is another corroboration of this dating. Of the 85 pipe bowls 49 bear marks, many of them of known local pipemakers. The differentiation in pottery types found in the cesspit is rather typical for an inn: 50 out of 137 ceramic items were plates of one kind or another, 84 drinking glasses were counted (not published here), but only 11 pipkins. The number of stoneware jugs is not very large (13) which suggests that pewter jugs were used more frequently; an inventory of 1678 bears out this suggestion. In percentages: 70% of the pottery was used on the table, only 14% in the kitchen.
Countryside between Colonia Ulpia Traiana (Xanten) and Atuatuca Tungrorum (Tongeren): The Limburg... more Countryside between Colonia Ulpia Traiana (Xanten) and Atuatuca Tungrorum (Tongeren): The Limburg Meuse Valley in the Roman Period.
Wim Hupperetz
The region of the Limburg Meuse valley (Middenlimburgse Maasdal) was during the conquest excursions of Ceasar part of the civitas of the Eburones, which was led by the kings Ambiorix and Catuvulcus. A civitas was divided into pagi (Ambivariti?) who had a fairly autonomous political and religious position. The agricultural economy of the Eburones was vulnarable to internal warfare; the creation of reinforced settlements, stock shaping and the mobilisation of valuable resources was a way to limit this vulnarability Reinforced settlements are not known from the Limburg Meuse valley. Both the settlement pattern as the burial ritual were uniformal which suggests an egalitarian social structure. Due to the conquest raids of Caesar the Eburonian territory was depopulated and newcomers established themselves during the reign of Augustus in the valley of Rhine and Meuse. According to the second century situation a mayor part of the Limbug Meuse Valley was part of the territory of the Cugerni or Ciberni and the Baetasii. This region was inhabited by German newcomers but there must have been some rest groups of Eburonians living there. Furthermore was the Limburg Meuse valley (especially the surroundings of Tongeren) inhabited by immigrants from the Southern regions (the territory of the Treveri?) who were starting villa-farms. From Augusteian time until the beginning of the second century the civitas organisation was established, strongly directed by the central government. The introduction of the Roman civitas model probably took place in the middle of the first century. One of the causes of the poor interaction between traders (import goods) and the domestic consumers will have been the lack of a monetary economy. Whereas soldiers (Venlo and Ophoven?) more were more Romanized and had money and contacts, currency money in the domestic settlements played a marginal role. A thorough adaptation of the agricultural system was still not the case in the first century. Probably the internal war sheathing and the fact that large parts of the male population had to serve in the Roman army had an important impact on the domestic economy. The administrative and economic developments called undoubtedly large capacitances within the domestic society. It is however still unclear if the Batavian revolt can be considered primarily as a consequence of these capacitances. Although the military presence at the Rhine border was increased directly after the Batavian revolt, the province Germania Inferior got gradually a more civil character; between 83-90 this province was transformed to a formal (border) province and in 98/99 the Colonia Ulpia Traiana were founded. This city formed the administrative and economic centre of the civitas Traianensium, to which the largest part of the Limburg Meuse valley belonged. Within the rural society in this area two socio-political entities can be distinguished. The small group of villa-owners and soldiers were the most Romanized part of the population, and can be considered as the local elite. A number of persons and families from this group will have taken part in the governing board of the civitas. The strong Romanization becomes clear - among other things - from the fact that this elite was formed by Roman citizen who fulfilled administrative functions, had Roman names, who dedicated in the local sanctuaries and depicted themselves on wall paintings such as in the villa of Maasbracht. Furthermore a large group of the domestic population can be distinguished. This group was organized within the pagus. The close link between the inhabitants of the pagus Catualinus and a villa owner and driver of the Colonia Ulpia Traiana, indicate that the pagani in this way had possibilities to enter directly to the levels of decision-making of the civitas government. It seems that this large group was dependent on the local elite. Within this group of native rural populations - on the basis of the settlement model - an overall bipartition can be made. The inhabitants of the vici seem to take a different place beside the inhabitants of native agrarian settlements. Because of the economic position of the vici (local market function) the Romanizing influence was stronger. The quantitative comparison of the grave finds in the Limburg Meuse valley is suggesting a difference; the average number of given pieces pottery by grave lies in the vici three times as high as in the native agrarian settlements. It is possible that these vici were controlled by a number of magistri. The native agrarian settlements stood at the basis of the settlement hierarchy within the civitas Traianensium and were characterized by agrarian production on a small scale; these settlements were probably limited incorporated in the Roman market economy. In the local cult places - which functioned at the same level as native agrarian settlements - the smaller degree of Romanization is reflected. The introduction of the villae and the vici can be considered as a direct consequence of the economic changes. The villae rusticae produced for a central market and replaced the small scale farming partly. The vici played a role as local market and show the presence of specialized craftsmen as smiths and potters. Currency money seems to have played an important role in vici, in contrast to the native agrarian settlements where it fulfilled a marginal role. In the terra sigillata trade the Rhine played an important role as a supply route. Possibly the distribution of terra sigillata was centrally organized from certain points within the civitas (head places?). The import multiplied by five in the period 115-135 AD. in the middle of the second century terra sigillata was available in most of the settlements. Distribution of ordinary earthenware (mortars, goblets from Tongeren) and tiles was organized via the Meuse and seems to be organized in contrast to the terra sigillata trade, which was organized central. As from the end of the second century a decline of habitation of the Limburg Meuse valley is visible (grave fields). The exact causes (economic/ecological causes, raids?) are unclear; the disadvantageous impact of this development does not seem have touched the villa-system substantial. The most of the villae were abandoned during the Frankish raids around 275, which also marked the end of the villa economy in the Limburg Meuse valley. At the end of the third century a period of recovery and reorganizations followed under Diocletian. The administrative reorganization caused - among other things - that the civitas Traianensium became part of the province Germania Secunda; furthermore the taxes were regularly levied and had to be paid in kind. As a result of the new defense (depth) strategy along the Meuse some settlements were reinforced (Cuijk, Maastricht, Heel?, Stokkem?). The new Frankish raids from c. 340 resulted in 351/2 the end of the Colonia Ulpia Traiana and this caused also the end of the civitas Traianensium. The Roman governing board lost control of the Rhine area more and more during the middle of the fourth century and approximately 370 the province Germania Secunda was not functioning anymore. The areas of the Batavi and the Traianenses were opened for Frankish immigrants. The nature and the function of the new settlements in the Limburg Meuse valley are unclear. At the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century there is increased activity at the border areas again; in 402 the Roman troops were called back to Italy and there came an end at 450 years Roman presence in northern Gaul. Probably the Limburg Meuse valley was depopulated in 402 in the same way as it was depopulated after Caesar left in 51 BCE. It would last up to the sixth century before the occupation increased in the Limburg Meuse valley as a result of Merovingian newcomers.
1673 Maastricht - The Sun King conquers the city., 2023
After the siege of Maastricht in 1673, in which some 1,000 dead and missing were recorded, the or... more After the siege of Maastricht in 1673, in which some 1,000 dead and missing were recorded, the original garrison of around 5,000 men still consisted of 2,231 State infantrymen, 125 men of Italian infantry, over 400 Republic horsemen and 350 Spanish horsemen. One of the deceased was lieutenant William (or William) Norwood. He was part of a group of 229 officers who died during died during the siege. Senior officers from the army of the Dutch Republic also died in Maastricht, such as William Sandilands, Johan van Paffenrode, Ferdinand Cary and Andries Commersteijn. Willem Norwood defended the fortress as an officer on the State side and was killed on 25 June 1673. He was about 50 at the time.
Worldwide about a thousand mummy portraits
mummy portraits from Roman Egypt, which have
have beco... more Worldwide about a thousand mummy portraits mummy portraits from Roman Egypt, which have have become scattered across hundreds of museum and private collections. Most of the portraits were painted on wood and placed in the place of the face on the mummy. About 5% of these portraits were painted on textiles, usually canvas. The Allard Pierson owns six Roman-Egyptian mummy portraits, including one on linen. About that portrait is this article.
Fragments &Frictions gaat over visies op archeologie. Archeologische objecten zijn dragers van e... more Fragments &Frictions gaat over visies op archeologie. Archeologische objecten zijn dragers van een ver en (ver)vreemd(end) verleden. In enkele casestudies wordt op prikkelende en verrassende wijze de biografie van archeologische objecten blootgelegd.
Since 2019 the University of Amsterdam heritage collections are in the care of the Allard Pierso... more Since 2019 the University of Amsterdam heritage collections are in the care of the Allard Pierson, the amalgamation of the Allard Pierson Museum and the university’s Special Collections. They include renowned collections in the fields of archaeology, the history of the book, cartography, graphic design, literature, Jewish cultural history, natural history, and the performing arts. Especially the Graphic Design and Performing Arts collections abound with posters and other objects from art nouveau. During the preparations for the exhibition Goddesses of Art Nouveau, the style was the subject of a search in and selection from the collections for the first time. This led to amazing finds, some of which are now exhibited for the first time. Many of these objects were given a special conservation treatment first.
Women, mostly young and elegant and often merged with nature, are everywhere in art nouveau: from... more Women, mostly young and elegant and often merged with nature, are everywhere in art nouveau: from commercial poster girls to allegorical figures, from conservative role models to icons of feminism—but rarely women of flesh and blood. The female artists who were able to stand their ground in the male-dominated world of art nouveau also used allegorical female figures. The fin de siècle was a period of incis ive change: urbanisation, the rise of mass consump tion and advertising, industrialisation, the class struggle, the women’s movement, the large-scale distribution of print. Artists and designers went in search of new forms; the new art, art nouveau, became popular throughout Europe as it was distributed through magazines and posters, but also through the world expositions which presented the latest applied art for the modern bourgeoisie to embellish their lives with. Goddesses of Art Nouveau sheds new light on an extraordinary era and on the question as to how the image of woman was used in paintings, spectacular jewellery, the Rolls-Royce mascot, advertising posters and book covers, made by women and men. The book also contains a selection of the most striking art-nouveau objects from the collections of the Allard Pierson in Amsterdam, the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, and the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum Braunschweig.
The presentation of a certain period is always connected
with our own time. If we want to discuss... more The presentation of a certain period is always connected with our own time. If we want to discuss the presentation of the Early Middle Ages in museums, we will have to take a closer look at the concept of that period: what do we mean by ‘Early Middle Ages’? And we will soon find ourselves in the nineteenth century. The concept of ‘Middle Ages’ is, to a great extent, a nineteenthcentury invention, a construct one cannot disconnect from the rise of the Western European nation states. At the time many European countries were looking for originality and authenticity, and this movement was strengthened by searching history for the beginnings of the nation. As a consequence nineteenth-century Western Europe saw the beginning of a large-scale study of the medieval past, which was associated with concepts such as community, identity and authenticity.
This publication presents the Early Middle Ages as a
period of transformation when cultural excha... more This publication presents the Early Middle Ages as a period of transformation when cultural exchange was reflected in the development of different regional cultures in Europe from Ireland to the Mediterranean, from the Baltic to Greece and Spain. The overarching themes of connectivity and diversity give shape to individual elements such as the heritage of the ancient Roman Empire, the effects of travel and the impact of war, the representation of identity and the connection of knowledge and faith as Jewish, Christian and Muslim groups coexisted, reflecting the cohesive nature of Europe in the Early Middle Ages.
The inscription in Iberian script and the name indicate that legionary Bekon was from one of the ... more The inscription in Iberian script and the name indicate that legionary Bekon was from one of the Spanish provinces. We know that Julius Caesar as governor of Hispania Ulterior (Southern Spain) put together a legion in this Spanish province (the tenth) in 61 BC. That was one of the legions that he used to conquer Gaul and Britain. Caesar disbanded the tenth legion in 45 BC. The veterans were give lands and farms in the South of France and Spain. On account of the model of the helmet and the Iberian inscription the helmet must date form the middle of the first century BC. That means that it could have been worn by one of Caesar's legionaries.
A small group of immigrant Batavian mercenaries lived in Rome in the first and second century. A... more A small group of immigrant Batavian mercenaries lived in Rome in the first and second century. Along with other soldiers from Germania, they established the Collegium Germanorum. The tombstone or Titus Aurelius Probus shows that he was part of this group. In germania Inferior, where they originated, stone monuments wre placed almost exclusively in the vicinity of army camps. These kind of tombstones are not found in Rome, showing how this collegium developed its own idiom. This Batavian tombstone shows many similarities with monuments of soldiers from other military units in Rome, after which the mercenaries undoubtedly would have mirrored themselves.
This coins was probably hidden during the conquest of the legions of Caesar, around 54 BCE. After... more This coins was probably hidden during the conquest of the legions of Caesar, around 54 BCE. After the Gallic War, we see a drastic decline in the circulation of gold. This may be explained by the increasing flow of wealth to Italy in the form of war booty and tribute payments. It is likely that this coin survived because the owner has hidden it in the ground.
At the end of the first century AD, the Roman army introduced building in stone. Because of this ... more At the end of the first century AD, the Roman army introduced building in stone. Because of this development, buildings in the Low Countries became more permanent and more monumental. Theatres and homesteads as well as army camps and temples were made of stone and roofed with tiles. Stone had to be imported, but bricks and tiles were made locally from river clay, under military supervision. Just outside the castra of Ulpia Noviomagus, on what is now the estate of Holdeurn, a large complex was constructed with several ovens where these tiles were manufactured on a large scale to supply the forts in the Low Countries. Numerous stamped roof tiles are found along the limes (border) of Germania Inferior, mainly in forts and sometimes in civilian settlements, including the one at Castellum Traiectum.
This figurine of the mother goddess dates from the second century AD and probably was a burial gi... more This figurine of the mother goddess dates from the second century AD and probably was a burial gift, for such figurines are usually found in graves. Moreover, this specimen is undamaged. Mother goddess terracottas found in Lower Germany mostly represent Ubian goddesses, dressed in long cloaks with a large round hood. The goddesses either wear a fillet, their hair down, or a round head-dress, as in this case. We also know mother goddesses from Italy, but is unclear whether these Italian Matres were identified with the Germanic Matronae. Since the latter ones wear Ubian attire, they appear to belong to native religion. We cannot exclude, however, that Romanised Ubians adopted a Gallic tradition and adapted it to their own custom. The Ubian terracottas were manufactured near Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (present-day Cologne, Germany) and principally occur in the west of the Low Countries. Furthermore it is not improbable that ‘Roman’ terracottas of e.g. Diana, Fortuna, Minerva or Venus in fact represent native deities. It is remarkable that most terracottas depict goddesses, while statuettes of male deities were usually made of bronze.
Such bronze statuettes of Mercury were popular in the Low Countries, both north and south of the ... more Such bronze statuettes of Mercury were popular in the Low Countries, both north and south of the limes. In some altar inscriptions from Germania Inferior, Mercury is called Arvernus (the Arverni were a Celtic tribe in southern Gaul). In Belgica, however, this epithet linking Mercury to a local god is lacking, which may indicate that Mercury is behind several local deities. This statuette is of an exceptional quality compared to the other bronze statuettes found in the Low Countries (there are more than thirty). It means that the person who dedicated it, and who was stationed at Carvium, may well have been a high-ranking officer.
The name Louba means ‘beloved’ in Germanic. Her father’s is a composite name, as was usual in Ger... more The name Louba means ‘beloved’ in Germanic. Her father’s is a composite name, as was usual in Germanic names. The first part, Gast(i)-, means ‘guest’. The second, (i)nasus, is less common and could mean ‘rescuer’. The local names and the express mention to their tribe show that they were proud of their roots. Louba’s partner was less clear about his origins, but happily showed off his citizenship and his tribus. Quintus must have been part of the first generation of Mediterranean soldiers stationed along the Rhine. That makes this gravestone a beautiful testimony to the intercultural marriage of the Roman soldier Quintus and his Ubian beloved, Louba.
Towards a dynamic presentation
As long as the museum has existed (eighty years in 2014), staff h... more Towards a dynamic presentation
As long as the museum has existed (eighty years in 2014), staff have tried to make Mediterranean Antiquity accessible to scholars and lay persons alike. The purpose of the objects was, and is, to provide insight into Western civilisation in past and present. The new display of the Roman collection brings out—perhaps more than the old one did—the connection between the objects on display and related research.
As the arts and sciences are never finished, so a museum’s collection is never complete. Fortunately the Allard Pierson Museum collections are still growing. Sometimes the objects in the collection reflect the director’s or curators’ predilections and interests. We see this in the collection of Roman glass, for instance, to which several remarkable pieces have been added following an exhibition on the subject in 2001. In the Roman department as in the entire museum, the collection owes its existence to private initiative. Donations have always left their mark on the collection.
An archaeological museum collection is the result of a long and continuing selection process which is the main factor in the collection’s significance. Our view on the objects is changed by new archaeological research, new techniques for visualisation and presentation, and increased insight into the ‘biography’ of the collections. Static, semipermanent or permanent displays of archaeology collections have little room to reveal those dynamics; for this reason, the Allard Pierson Museum has decided on a new concept geared toward dynamic presentation. A flexible modular showcase system will offer more possibilities to change the objects on display and to integrate new insights and technologies. Apart from that, the biggest challenge is in museum practice, in which curators are now spending more time and attention on continuous implementation of the renewal. That’s the key to success for a dynamic presentation of the Roman collection at the Allard Pierson Museum.
Judging from the patina, the helmet must have been found in a river bed in Germania Inferior; it ... more Judging from the patina, the helmet must have been found in a river bed in Germania Inferior; it must have had a representative purpose in military parades. It was doubtless made locally—which is confirmed by the iconography. It’s a military showpiece that joins eastern and local influence in a delightful way.
Some concentric circles have been engraved at the bottom of the base, which also has a clumsily w... more Some concentric circles have been engraved at the bottom of the base, which also has a clumsily written inscription. It appears to read ‘ΔΙVΟΜΑIIKΙΙC’. It isn’t Greek, however, but a Roman majuscule cursive from the first century AD. Three words have been abbreviated and written without spaces: DIVOMACCFEC, i.e. Divo Macc[ius or -arius] fec[it], ‘Maccius (or Maccarius; a silversmith) made this for a deity.’ Since the deity is not mentioned by name, it is likely that the cup was dedicated to a deified statesman, such as Julius Caesar or Augustus. That would be appropriate for such a precious cup.
On the grounds of the Latin inscription it is plausible that this silver skyphos was made in Italy, probably in Campania. Its early date and finding place indicate a military connection; the inscription could point to a gift to or from an army commander in the emperor’s circle. The finding place also proves that luxury goods were traded over long distances. It remains unclear if this cup was lost by accident, deposited as a sacrifice, or hidden as a treasure.
The helmet of Bekon, legionary under Caesar?
This bronze helmet is almost semispherical, with a ... more The helmet of Bekon, legionary under Caesar?
This bronze helmet is almost semispherical, with a protruding neck guard at the back. The knob on top has been lost. The helmet’s finding place is unknown, but the patina indicates that it was not found in a river and may have been a burial gift.
The inscription in Iberian script and the name indicate that legionary Bekon was from one of the Spanish provinces. We know that Julius Caesar as governor of Hispania Ulterior (southern Spain) put together a legion there (the Tenth) in 61 BC. It was to be one of the legions he used to conquer Gaul and Britain. Caesar disbanded the Tenth in 45 BC; the veterans were given land and farms in the south of France and Spain.
On account of the model and the Iberian inscription, the helmet must date from the middle of the first century BC; that means that it could have been worn by one of Caesar’s legionaries.
Some fifty big Roman facial masks have been found in the Netherlands, mainly along the limes (mil... more Some fifty big Roman facial masks have been found in the Netherlands, mainly along the limes (militarised border zone). Most were found in Nijmegen (Ulpia Noviomagus) and Voorburg (Forum Hadriani). These masks were manufactured on a large scale in Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (modern Cologne, Germany), possibly in Augusta Treverorum (Trier, Germany). Such life-size masks are usually found in settlements and are currently regarded as interior decoration, comparable to an oscillum (small mask to hang on the wall). These masks have many local characteristics, which indicates a strong local tradition. Perhaps the small masks were souvenirs from theatre shows, e.g. from the amphitheatre at Ulpia Noviomagus. This satyr mask may also have a religious connection with Bacchus as the patron of theatre, or with a local version of the god.
The miniature mask was a burial gift, perhaps a souvenir for the deceased. This and similar terracottas illustrate the easy adaptation to Roman theatre culture on the one hand, and the endurance of strong local characteristics on the other.
In the first and second centuries AD, the Roman society in the Low Countries was subject to chang... more In the first and second centuries AD, the Roman society in the Low Countries was subject to change in many areas: religious expression, material culture, burial rituals, architecture, economy. But, we may ask, was central burial of the dead in the Batavian countryside something that started under the influence of Roman culture, or was it in fact a local reaction meant to increase the sense of community? And what kind of impact did the presence of the Roman military have? These are difficult questions that historians of Antiquity and archaeologists have not been asking for very long, and that we are still trying to answer.
Scholars have long assumed that in the province of Germania Inferior there was a clear-cut contrast between native and ‘Roman’ ways and cultural values. This cliché view, however, has taken a beating over the last years, because we have increasingly taken dynamics and reciprocal influence into consideration. The new approach does more justice to what Rome’s religious and cultural imperialism meant for local communities.
Local identities were under high pressure and were changing continuously—which is why mutual influence probably occurred between these identities and the values that from the central authority of the Roman Empire seeped through to the countryside of a border province on the Rhine.
November 2011 saw the opening of the exhibition “Archeovirtual” organized by CNR ITABC and V-MusT... more November 2011 saw the opening of the exhibition “Archeovirtual” organized by CNR ITABC and V-MusT Network of Excellence, in Paestum, Italy, under the general direction of BMTA(BMTA is the Mediterranean Expo on Archaeological Tourism directed by Ugo Picarelli and organised by Salerno Province.). The event, part of a wider European project on virtual museums, was a rare opportunity to show many different projects about Virtual Reality and Cultural Heritage. During the show, four types of evaluation tools were employed to examine user behaviour and usability of the interfaces, plus understanding the gap between user expectation and experience. First analyses revealed that the impact of interactive applications on the user seems to depend on the capability of technology to be “invisible” and to allow a range of possibilities for accessing content. To achieve this, virtual museums need a more integrated approach between cultural contents, interfaces and social and behavioural studies.
This publication complements and supports the work conducted as part of Etruscanning, a European ... more This publication complements and supports the work conducted as part of Etruscanning, a European project focusing on using innovative 3D multimedia technologies to support exhibitions on Etruscan culture. The results of the project described in this publication, namely the Virtual Reconstruction of the Regolini-Galassi Tomb interactive installation, can be experienced by the public in the permanent exhibition space of the Museo Gregoriano Etrusco, in the Vatican Museums.
The visual and material properties of cultural heritage artifacts provide important information a... more The visual and material properties of cultural heritage artifacts provide important information about their history. For example, traces of wear and tear inform us about an object's use. However, changes caused by manual handling or corrosion might also result in loss of either geometric properties, such as the deterioration of fine inscriptions, or appearance properties, such as fading color. Often, heritage institutions wish to inform visitors about these lost physical properties. Traditionally, this is done through the separate display of the physical artifact and additional textual or visual information. However, this approach requires considerable cognitive attention from the visitor, who is expected to successfully link the information provided by both resources, and thus hinders the process of understanding. This demonstration showcases an exhibit currently on display in the Allard Pierson Museum in Amsterdam (the Netherlands) which contains a relief fragment from the wal...
Adjunct Publication of the 25th Conference on User Modeling, Adaptation and Personalization, 2017
There is a growing interests in integration of Internet of Things (IoT) in smart environments, wh... more There is a growing interests in integration of Internet of Things (IoT) in smart environments, which creates an opportunity to understand users' information needs using onsite physical sensor logs. However, the physical context creates numerous external factors that play a role in users' information interactions, thus creating new external biases in the collected information interaction logs. In order to provide an effective personalized experiences for users in smart environment, we need to take care of these external biases in the behavioral user models. Our general aim is to understand users' onsite physical behaviors for providing online and onsite personalized services like personalized tour guides. We focus on the cultural heritage domain and collect onsite users' physical information interaction logs of visits in a museum. This prompts the question: How to understand users' behavior in the existence of external biases? Our main finding is that users behave...
Urban archaeology in the Netherlands provides us with a constant $ow of excavation reports in whi... more Urban archaeology in the Netherlands provides us with a constant $ow of excavation reports in which archaeological %nds and settlement traces are published. &e interpretation of archaeological %nds such as ceramics is still di'cult because a good theoretical framework is lacking. Cesspit %nds are ideally suited to give information on the social-economic position of the household that used the cesspit. Recently, there have been some critical remarks on the interpretation of cesspit %nds. In the 17th century a cesspit was a common phenomenon in most Dutch cities. But how did it function? How many times was it emptied and what was the meaning of waste in the economic system and in relation to the beginning of the consumer society in the 17th century?
"3D visualisation of the Regolini-Galassi Tomb will not only pro... more "3D visualisation of the Regolini-Galassi Tomb will not only prove an essential tool for obtaining more knowledge about the tomb and Etruscan funerary customs, it also supplies an attractive way to present research results. In our multidisciplinary approach to the realization of this 3D visualization, we re-examined and reinterpreted earlier publications on the find context, and reached new conclusions regarding the location of the objects in the tomb. We were able to place the objects virtually in the tomb, allowing us to identify inconsistencies in the source material and to determine the most plausible configuration. Using 3D visualization as our research instrument, we were able to study the tomb on another level. We shall present our results in the form of an innovative, interactive 3D experience, based on natural interfaces (bodily movements and gestures)."
November 2011 saw the opening of the exhibition “Archeovirtual” organized by CNR ITABC -Virtual H... more November 2011 saw the opening of the exhibition “Archeovirtual” organized by CNR ITABC -Virtual Heritage Lab - and V-MusT Network of Excellence, in Paestum, Italy, under the general direction of BMTA1. The event, that was part of a wider European project focus on virtual museums, turned to be a great opportunity to show many different projects, applications and installations about Virtual Reality and Cultural Heritage. The four-days exhibition was an occasion to get in touch with the newest experiences with virtual reconstructions, 3D models, interactive environments, augmented reality and mobile solutions for cultural contents; at the same time, it was an opportunity for organizers to directly face the audience’s impact towards projects. That because of the necessity to investigate more on social and behavioral aspects in order to positively affect the learning benefits of public. So doing, we could build in the future applications much more tailored on the final costumers, closer ...
Proceedings of the 2016 ACM on Conference on Human Information Interaction and Retrieval - CHIIR '16, 2016
The existence of different biases in logged users' behavior makes it difficult to extract... more The existence of different biases in logged users' behavior makes it difficult to extract realistic topical and social information from users' interaction logs (e.g., query logs). To understand users' behavior and their interests in the cultural heritage domain, we have logged onsite user interaction logs of visits in a museum. This prompts the question on the reliability of the social information being gathered from the onsite logs: How does the position of museum objects affect users' behavior in the museum? How does order of visiting point of interests affect their dwell-time in front of each point of interest? How do different users' characteristics affect their behavior in the museum? In short, what are different kinds of biases that should be considered in the on-site logs? Our main findings are the following: First, there is a considerable position bias, which is due to the design of the exhibition and should be considered during extraction of social signals from the log. Second, there is a bias in the amount of time that users spend for interacting with the point of interests and the order of picking them to visit. This shows a fatigue on users' interactions while they are reaching to the end of the exhibition. Third, we find out some variations among the users' visit, which shows context is an important factor to consider while using onsite logs for different purposes.
The present year will be marked by a notable programme of temporary exhibitions. Furthermore the ... more The present year will be marked by a notable programme of temporary exhibitions. Furthermore the Museum's renewal will be made more concrete, a process for which the Friends of the Allard Pierson Museum are greatly needed and in which they will continue to be closely ...
On September 23rd 2014, after 2000 years from Augustus death, 13 countries have met in Rome, Amst... more On September 23rd 2014, after 2000 years from Augustus death, 13 countries have met in Rome, Amsterdam, Alexandria and Sarajevo, for the opening of an extraordinary exhibition, “Keys to Rome”: an interactive journey to discover Roman Culture, starting from the city of Augustus and reaching the entire Roman Empire, through the visit to 4 fascinating venues, 4 museums with their archaeological collections, more than 10 different technologies supporting and enhancing this global experience. This is more than an exhibition on Roman archaeology. "Keys To Rome" is a unique international exhibition, that, for the first time is organized in parallel in four locations:Rome, in the wonderful setting of the Imperial Fora Museum (Museo dei Fori Imperiali); Alexandria, in the Antiquities Museums of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; Amsterdam, in the recently renovated Allard Pierson Museum; and Sarajevo, in the newly restored CityHall (Vijecnica) and in the Sarajevo Museum. This Catalog, wi...
On September 23rd 2014, after 2000 years from Augustus death, 13 countries have met in Rome, Amst... more On September 23rd 2014, after 2000 years from Augustus death, 13 countries have met in Rome, Amsterdam, Alexandria and Sarajevo, for the opening of an extraordinary exhibition, “Keys to Rome”: an interactive journey to discover Roman Culture, starting from the city of Augustus and reaching the entire Roman Empire, through the visit to 4 fascinating venues, 4 museums with their archaeological collections, more than 10 different technologies supporting and enhancing this global experience. This is more than an exhibition on Roman archaeology. "Keys To Rome" is a unique international exhibition, that, for the first time is organized in parallel in four locations:Rome, in the wonderful setting of the Imperial Fora Museum (Museo dei Fori Imperiali); Alexandria, in the Antiquities Museums of the Bibliotheca Alexandrina; Amsterdam, in the recently renovated Allard Pierson Museum; and Sarajevo, in the newly restored CityHall (Vijecnica) and in the Sarajevo Museum. This Catalog, wi...
The Edfu Connection
The site of Edfu, south of Luxor and Karnak, was sacred to the falcon god Ho... more The Edfu Connection
The site of Edfu, south of Luxor and Karnak, was sacred to the falcon god Horus. Its temple, one of the best preserved sanctuaries of ancient Egypt, was built between 237 and 57 BC. The hoard of originally about 800 sealings may have been deposited after a conflagration burnt the documents to which they were attached.
They form the largest set of preserved clay seal impressions from Hellenistic Egypt. And yet, both halves have thus far not been studied and compared systematically. The Toronto half was published in two preliminary articles over a century ago; some of the Amsterdam examples have been published sporadically since the mid-1990s.
Two examples of Hellenistic clay seal impressions from Edfu: on the left the famous last queen of Egypt Cleopatra VII; and the right Julius Caesar, the Roman conqueror and dictator, who maintained a relationship with Cleopatra. (APM inv.nos. 8177-056 and 134.) Over half of the sealings depict male or female heads or busts, the majority of which represent royal portraits from the second half of the Hellenistic period (that is, ca. 185-25 BC). This fact alone makes the Edfu sealings very important, as there are few securely identifiable portraits of the kings or queens of the Ptolemaic dynasty of the time.
Recent research has now established that all kings from Ptolemy VI through Ptolemy XII, and several of the queens from Cleopatra I through Cleopatra VII, can be recognized among the hoard. Additionally, seal impressions can be attributed to Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I and even Julius Caesar. This research project, The Edfu Connection, was made possible through generous support of the Mondriaan Fund and the Getty Research Institute.
Hoog tijd voor een leuk boek. Een proefschrift, maar o wat een leuk proefschrift en het ziet er o... more Hoog tijd voor een leuk boek. Een proefschrift, maar o wat een leuk proefschrift en het ziet er ook zo mooi uit. Vol met foto's, stadsplattegronden, huizendoorsnedes en oude prenten. Een boek om in te bladeren en zomaar stukjes uit te lezen. Wat kostte in 1672 een overnachting in een herberg? Twintig cent en nog eens vijftien cent voor het stallen van een paard. Wanneer kon je voor het eerst subsidie krijgen voor de aanpassing van een huis? Al in 1480 gaf het Bredase stadsbestuur huiseigenaren geld als ze hun huis van een leien dak voorzagen. Ook toen al werd er natuurlijk meteen misbruik van gemaakt. Ook na 500 jaar stijgt uit de archieven de vertrouwde geur van een bouwfraude op. Wim Hupperetz-conservator aan het Limburgs Museum, geen Bredanaar-heeft er jaren aan gewerkt, maar het resultaat is er dan ook naar. Het gaat over niet meer dan één straat, een nu onooglijk straatje van enkele tientallen huizen in het oude centrum van Breda, maar van die ene straat wordt een allesomvattende geschiedenis van bewoning en bewoners geschreven. Hupperetz wil zelf het woord allesomvattend of integraal uitdrukkelijk niet gebruiken, maar dat is toch al te bescheiden voor wie naar eigen zeggen in zijn studie een groot aantal disciplines in de driehoek geschiedenis, economie en sociologie met elkaar weet te combineren.
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Books by Wim Hupperetz
collaboration project called ‘CEMEC’ (Connecting Early Medieval
European Collections), which took place between 2015 and 2019. It is
aimed at our colleagues working in the field of cultural heritage:
museum management and museum specialists, university specialists
(interested in) collaborating with museums, and people in technical and
creative companies with museums among their regular customers.
The lessons we would like to share with you relate to inter-institutional
and international collaboration, the organisation of travelling exhibitions,
the development and user evaluations of digital applications, and last but
not least: business-model innovation in museums. All those issues are
central to the current operation of museums and to their future.
Er moet meer aandacht komen voor de biografie en herkomst van museale collecties vanwege het feit dat deze bepalend zijn voor de betekenis en impact. Daarvoor moet meer aandacht worden geschonken aan de biografie van objecten en verzamelaars en kan er een beter begrip ontstaan van de complexiteit van waarden die juist verbonden is aan museale objecten. Daarnaast is het voor musea van belang om de impact van nieuwe technologie zoals ‘The Internet of Things’ op de positie van de curator/conservator te onderzoeken.
Rol van de curator verandert
Dit zijn de twee belangrijkste uitdagingen die Hupperetz in zijn betoog benoemt. De eerste is sterk verbonden met de actuele gebeurtenissen in Nederland zoals het naast elkaar bestaan van verschillende waardesystemen, die bijvoorbeeld tot uiting komt in de zwartepieten discussie. Hupperetz: “In feite is dit een overgang tussen de uitgangspunten van onze moderne samenleving en het postmoderne gedachtegoed, waarbij begrippen als ‘’waarheid’’ en ‘’werkelijkheid’’ geproblematiseerd worden en dat leidt tot veel onzekerheid en frustratie.” De andere uitdaging is verbonden met technologie zoals The Internet of Things, waarbij de rol van de curator onherroepelijk zal veranderen. Hupperetz: “Als museale collecties onderdeel worden van dat internet der dingen, dan wordt het selecteren en beoordelen overgenomen door de zoeksystemen die achter Amazon, Google en Facebook zitten en krijgen we een heel andere dynamiek.”
Vertaling post-moderniteit naar museale praktijk
Hupperetz bouwt voort op de ideeën van zijn voorganger Ad de Jong, die zich in 2009 al afvroeg wanneer de volgende kentering in het museale domein zou komen. Hupperetz: “Naar mijn mening zitten we nog steeds middenin die kentering tussen modernisme en postmodernisme. De reflectie op de aloude moderniteit is cruciaal maar ook problematisch als het gaat om de vertaling naar de museale praktijk.” De leerstoel betreft in het bijzonder de studie der voorwerpen vanwege het Koninklijk Oudheidkundig Genootschap (KOG). In zijn onderzoek wil Wim Hupperetz duidelijk maken dat voorwerpen het voertuig zijn van ons collectief geheugen en als dynamisch erfgoed is de betekenis daarvan altijd in beweging. Hupperetz: “Het is simpelweg met de tijd meegaan. Dat klinkt eenvoudig, maar het betekent dat we ons open moeten stellen voor verandering, dat we nieuwsgierig zijn naar de ander, gevoelig zijn voor de biografie en diversiteit die besloten ligt in mensen en voorwerpen om ons heen. En dat is wat ik bedoel met het museum als medium van het geheugen.”
The differing value systems of modernism and postmodernism exist alongside each other to a significant extent, but also regularly collide. How do we deal with this: do we want to go back to the past, do we cleave to what we have, or do we go with the times? I hope to have clarified that we constantly create our own past by whatever means, that we link that past to places and objects, and that this is inevitably and irrevocably bound up with collective memory. I have used Caesar’s clay seal as example. It reveals the different types of historical awareness and the difference in evaluation. That awareness is significant because it may be an ordering principle for museums.
This chair concerns the study of objects and I have aimed to clarify that objects are the vehicle for our collective memory. Their meaning in terms of dynamic heritage is always in motion. I spoke about ‘going with the times’. That sounds so simple, but it means that we open ourselves to change, that we are curious about the other, sensitive to the biography and diversity locked up in the people and objects around us. We then arrive once more at the many-voiced and layered nature of our own identity.
Our amnesia is irrevocable, and the things we do gather up or preserve seems arbitrary. When the temple archive in Edfu burnt down hundreds of documents were lost. The clay seals that remained and were preserved after the fire in my view symbolise the balance that we should strive for in heritage management. Here the three stations of past, present and future form a simple guideline.
In the first place, the clay seal is an historical source, unlocking as an object different perspectives on Julius Caesar. At the same time it is important that we try to link this clay seal with the here and now. Just last year the seal was exhibited for the first time during the MuseumCamp at the Allard Pierson Museum. A publication is currently being prepared, and in the near future everyone will soon be able to make a 3D-print of it.
This object will thereby provide inspiration for new generations, and new layers of meaning will grow. What is important is that we have to allow ourselves a reservoir. It took more than a century before the relevance and meaning of this clay seal were perceived. But here we confront another paradox: that of the digital storage of our recollections. The more we store digitally, the more vulnerable and evanescent our digital memory turns out to be.
At the end of this lecture, I am afraid I have to confuse you a little. The clay seal with Caesar’s likeness has been the leitmotiv in my argument. But we do not know what Caesar really looked like by any means. Yes, we have coins depicting Caesar, but they are not uniform. And the likeness of sculpted portraits is still debated. Nevertheless, there is an image of Caesar in our collective memory, and so also in this museum object. In any event, this clay seal impression participates in our perception. And that is what I mean by the museum as medium of memory.
This book wants to show readers a different image of Rome, an image characterised first and foremost by the diversity of the Roman world. We can only understand that diversity if we study the Roman world as a whole – not split into east and west or into provinces – and in the context of world history. We will do so by looking into seven themes that together offer a comprehensive overview in which dynamics and change are the central concepts. In order to shed light on the local aspect, we will focus on three regions which are Roman in their very own and unmistakeable ways: the Italian peninsula, Egypt, and the Low Countries.
The Roman Empire has many faces. Some of the more important ones will be singled out here, creating a kaleidoscopic image of a changing world and a new image of the Roman Empire that will help to set rusty views in motion again.
Through exhibitions, blogs, videos, and publications, we were able to realize a new approach to the communication of Etruscan tombs and collections in exhibitions in the Netherlands and Belgium. At the end of the project, the final resulting applications will be installed for permanentuse in the Vatican Museums, Villa Giulia (Rome, IT) and Museum Formello (Veio, IT). Furthermore, this project proved that it is possible to enable and support cultural heritage institutions to create, run and exchange digital 3D reconstructions."
Summary [PhD thesis 2004 published by Matrijs (2004)
This research project is aimed at telling the story of the residents of a street located in an historical city centre. For this purpose, the history of the occupants of the houses in the Visserstraat, located in the city of Breda, has been studied. What have been the changes that the Visserstraat has been through in a spatial-fysical matter, in a social-economical matter or in the sense of the housing culture since the establishment of its first residents in the twelfth century, through to the commencement of the twenty-first century? These research questions are to be addressed in this dissertation.
The conducted study did not only yield interesting results with respect to the content of the findings – these will be elaborated upon in chapter seven – but it also led to a methodological quest aimed at answering four main questions. First of all, research efforts were aimed at establishing the size and span of the memory of one specific street, the Visserstraat in Breda. Two aspects can be distinguished for this purpose: the social-cultural proceedings and the spatial-fysical objects. Of both aspects sources are provided that can be used as the fundaments of a memory. In turn that memory can give rise to specific recollections that are closely related to historical notions. Three sorts of historical notions can be specified, which can be linked to three different time-levels, as described by Braudel. In the description of the history of residence in this street I will use this specification for providing structure. This study thus also provides insights into the availability of different sources. Because of the current academic tradition the possibilities of combining research results provided by distinct disciplines remains under utilized.
While establishing the size and span of the memory, the possibilities for gathering information on the micro-level of houses and street facts were also assessed. Following a micro-historical approach, the street and two construction blocks were studied in detail. Limiting the scope of research is an analytical principle that has a special added value if data are collected from different disciplines. Archaeological findings and historical data regarding construction then allow a much more precise dating as well as a more precise meaning. Naturally, these sources regarding the micro-level of houses and streets were not available for all periods. For this reason, the developments in the twelfth and thirteenth century are described at a city-level.
In second place, this study has tried to explore the boundaries of an integrated approach. This refers to the fact that data have been gathered and interpreted from the scope of various disciplines, ultimately yielding to combined results that show the social-economical, living-culture and urban development. It is even one more step to arrive at an interdisciplinary approach which allows the combination of results beforehand. For the ordering of the different disciplines and ways of study a distinction was made between three approaches, namely an object-oriented approach, a society-oriented approach which emphasizes the human being, and an ethnological approach. The distinction between the first two will be evident; the difference between the first two and the last approach lies in the fact that the ethnological approach relates the found data to the current state, thus placing a greater emphasis on their contextual meaning. Besides, it is not likely to state that these approaches could be used independently, as ethnological studies are often based on studies of materials, or on the results of social-economical studies. Conversely, ethnological concepts and interpretations are often tested using the ‘hard data’ of the other two disciplines.
Thirdly, the long-term perspective was studied, as the gathered data refer to eight-hundred years of history. For ordering the data the classification as event-, conjectural- and structural aspects was restored. In the Chapters two trough six, different objects and events are described. Each chapter refers to a time-span of two-hundred years, allowing the surface of the most important conjunctures. These are described in Chapter seven using an integrated approach where possible. In the cultural-historical analysis the structural elements of the studied area were brought to light. With respect to the spatial-physical matters, the parcellation, the structure of the construction blocks and the body of the houses were used as structural elements. With respect to the social-cultural aspects, the usage of the residences is the structural element, which can change of meaning depending on the conjectural state.
The fourth question refers to the possibilities of implementation of the cultural-historical analysis for cultural urban planning of the historical city centres. With respect to this implementation, a gap can be stated between the work of the historians and the specialists from urban development. This gap is the result of a lack of attention for:
- the social-cultural perspective of the inhabitants on the part of the urban development specialists
- the built environment by the historians
The memory of a street and the cultural-historical analysis can be used to aid the enduring debate regarding tradition and modernization, as it is conducted within the sector of the preservation of monuments and historic buildings and Urban Development, especially with respect to historical city centres. The tasks at the crossroads of these two disciplines, are currently being delegated to the discipline of Cultural Urban Planning. It is important to provide this relatively new discipline with a new content which ensures the conduction of studies from a truly integrated and multidisciplinary perspective.
Belongs to PhD thesis The memory of a street, eighthundred years living in the Visserstraat, Breda.
Belongs to teh PhD thesis by Wim Hupperetz
The cesspit was discovered during the restoration of a Breda house called 'De Drye Mooren', 'The Three Moors'. During the 17th century an inn was kept in the house, which was owned by the Breda Reformed Church and its 'Table of the Holy Ghost' (poor relief) from 1626 to 1703. In the church wardens accounts repairs and extensions to the building are mentioned. In the year 1663 the house was extended backwards. The outer wall of this extention closed the cesspit. That fact provides a datum ante quem. From the same accounts it appears that the pit was cleaned regularly, the last time before 1663 being after October lOth, 1661, the datum post quem. Apart from a small number of objects left behind by the cleaners, the vast majority of the objects must have been dumped between late 1661 and sometime during 1663.
As it is very likely that ceramic objects of an inn generally have a shorter lifespan than those from an ordinary household, many of the objects found were not much older than 1660. The numerous remains of the extremely fragile clay pipes is another corroboration of this dating. Of the 85 pipe bowls 49 bear marks, many of them of known local pipemakers.
The differentiation in pottery types found in the cesspit is rather typical for an inn: 50 out of 137 ceramic items were plates of one kind or another, 84 drinking glasses were counted (not published here), but only 11 pipkins. The number of stoneware jugs is not very large (13) which suggests that pewter jugs were used more frequently; an inventory of 1678 bears out this suggestion. In percentages: 70% of the pottery was used on the table, only 14% in the kitchen.
Wim Hupperetz
The region of the Limburg Meuse valley (Middenlimburgse Maasdal) was during the conquest excursions of Ceasar part of the civitas of the Eburones, which was led by the kings Ambiorix and Catuvulcus. A civitas was divided into pagi (Ambivariti?) who had a fairly autonomous political and religious position. The agricultural economy of the Eburones was vulnarable to internal warfare; the creation of reinforced settlements, stock shaping and the mobilisation of valuable resources was a way to limit this vulnarability
Reinforced settlements are not known from the Limburg Meuse valley. Both the settlement pattern as the burial ritual were uniformal which suggests an egalitarian social structure.
Due to the conquest raids of Caesar the Eburonian territory was depopulated and newcomers established themselves during the reign of Augustus in the valley of Rhine and Meuse.
According to the second century situation a mayor part of the Limbug Meuse Valley was part of the territory of the Cugerni or Ciberni and the Baetasii. This region was inhabited by German newcomers but there must have been some rest groups of Eburonians living there.
Furthermore was the Limburg Meuse valley (especially the surroundings of Tongeren) inhabited by immigrants from the Southern regions (the territory of the Treveri?) who were starting villa-farms.
From Augusteian time until the beginning of the second century the civitas organisation was established, strongly directed by the central government. The introduction of the Roman civitas model probably took place in the middle of the first century.
One of the causes of the poor interaction between traders (import goods) and the domestic consumers will have been the lack of a monetary economy. Whereas soldiers (Venlo and Ophoven?) more were more Romanized and had money and contacts, currency money in the domestic settlements played a marginal role.
A thorough adaptation of the agricultural system was still not the case in the first century. Probably the internal war sheathing and the fact that large parts of the male population had to serve in the Roman army had an important impact on the domestic economy.
The administrative and economic developments called undoubtedly large capacitances within the domestic society. It is however still unclear if the Batavian revolt can be considered primarily as a consequence of these capacitances.
Although the military presence at the Rhine border was increased directly after the Batavian revolt, the province Germania Inferior got gradually a more civil character; between 83-90 this province was transformed to a formal (border) province and in 98/99 the Colonia Ulpia Traiana were founded. This city formed the administrative and economic centre of the civitas Traianensium, to which the largest part of the Limburg Meuse valley belonged. Within the rural society in this area two socio-political entities can be distinguished.
The small group of villa-owners and soldiers were the most Romanized part of the population, and can be considered as the local elite. A number of persons and families from this group will have taken part in the governing board of the civitas. The strong Romanization becomes clear - among other things - from the fact that this elite was formed by Roman citizen who fulfilled administrative functions, had Roman names, who dedicated in the local sanctuaries and depicted themselves on wall paintings such as in the villa of Maasbracht.
Furthermore a large group of the domestic population can be distinguished. This group was organized within the pagus. The close link between the inhabitants of the pagus Catualinus and a villa owner and driver of the Colonia Ulpia Traiana, indicate that the pagani in this way had possibilities to enter directly to the levels of decision-making of the civitas government. It seems that this large group was dependent on the local elite. Within this group of native rural populations - on the basis of the settlement model - an overall bipartition can be made.
The inhabitants of the vici seem to take a different place beside the inhabitants of native agrarian settlements. Because of the economic position of the vici (local market function) the Romanizing influence was stronger. The quantitative comparison of the grave finds in the Limburg Meuse valley is suggesting a difference; the average number of given pieces pottery by grave lies in the vici three times as high as in the native agrarian settlements. It is possible that these vici were controlled by a number of magistri. The native agrarian settlements stood at the basis of the settlement hierarchy within the civitas Traianensium and were characterized by agrarian production on a small scale; these settlements were probably limited incorporated in the Roman market economy. In the local cult places - which functioned at the same level as native agrarian settlements - the smaller degree of Romanization is reflected. The introduction of the villae and the vici can be considered as a direct consequence of the economic changes. The villae rusticae produced for a central market and replaced the small scale farming partly. The vici played a role as local market and show the presence of specialized craftsmen as smiths and potters. Currency money seems to have played an important role in vici, in contrast to the native agrarian settlements where it fulfilled a marginal role. In the terra sigillata trade the Rhine played an important role as a supply route. Possibly the distribution of terra sigillata was centrally organized from certain points within the civitas (head places?). The import multiplied by five in the period 115-135 AD. in the middle of the second century terra sigillata was available in most of the settlements. Distribution of ordinary earthenware (mortars, goblets from Tongeren) and tiles was organized via the Meuse and seems to be organized in contrast to the terra sigillata trade, which was organized central. As from the end of the second century a decline of habitation of the Limburg Meuse valley is visible (grave fields). The exact causes (economic/ecological causes, raids?) are unclear; the disadvantageous impact of this development does not seem have touched the villa-system substantial. The most of the villae were abandoned during the Frankish raids around 275, which also marked the end of the villa economy in the Limburg Meuse valley. At the end of the third century a period of recovery and reorganizations followed under Diocletian. The administrative reorganization caused - among other things - that the civitas Traianensium became part of the province Germania Secunda; furthermore the taxes were regularly levied and had to be paid in kind. As a result of the new defense (depth) strategy along the Meuse some settlements were reinforced (Cuijk, Maastricht, Heel?, Stokkem?). The new Frankish raids from c. 340 resulted in 351/2 the end of the Colonia Ulpia Traiana and this caused also the end of the civitas Traianensium. The Roman governing board lost control of the Rhine area more and more during the middle of the fourth century and approximately 370 the province Germania Secunda was not functioning anymore. The areas of the Batavi and the Traianenses were opened for Frankish immigrants. The nature and the function of the new settlements in the Limburg Meuse valley are unclear. At the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century there is increased activity at the border areas again; in 402 the Roman troops were called back to Italy and there came an end at 450 years Roman presence in northern Gaul. Probably the Limburg Meuse valley was depopulated in 402 in the same way as it was depopulated after Caesar left in 51 BCE. It would last up to the sixth century before the occupation increased in the Limburg Meuse valley as a result of Merovingian newcomers.
Papers and articles by Wim Hupperetz
mummy portraits from Roman Egypt, which have
have become scattered across hundreds of museum
and private collections. Most of the portraits
were painted on wood and placed in the place of the
face on the mummy. About 5%
of these portraits were painted on textiles,
usually canvas. The Allard Pierson owns six
Roman-Egyptian mummy portraits,
including one on linen. About that portrait is
this article.
collaboration project called ‘CEMEC’ (Connecting Early Medieval
European Collections), which took place between 2015 and 2019. It is
aimed at our colleagues working in the field of cultural heritage:
museum management and museum specialists, university specialists
(interested in) collaborating with museums, and people in technical and
creative companies with museums among their regular customers.
The lessons we would like to share with you relate to inter-institutional
and international collaboration, the organisation of travelling exhibitions,
the development and user evaluations of digital applications, and last but
not least: business-model innovation in museums. All those issues are
central to the current operation of museums and to their future.
Er moet meer aandacht komen voor de biografie en herkomst van museale collecties vanwege het feit dat deze bepalend zijn voor de betekenis en impact. Daarvoor moet meer aandacht worden geschonken aan de biografie van objecten en verzamelaars en kan er een beter begrip ontstaan van de complexiteit van waarden die juist verbonden is aan museale objecten. Daarnaast is het voor musea van belang om de impact van nieuwe technologie zoals ‘The Internet of Things’ op de positie van de curator/conservator te onderzoeken.
Rol van de curator verandert
Dit zijn de twee belangrijkste uitdagingen die Hupperetz in zijn betoog benoemt. De eerste is sterk verbonden met de actuele gebeurtenissen in Nederland zoals het naast elkaar bestaan van verschillende waardesystemen, die bijvoorbeeld tot uiting komt in de zwartepieten discussie. Hupperetz: “In feite is dit een overgang tussen de uitgangspunten van onze moderne samenleving en het postmoderne gedachtegoed, waarbij begrippen als ‘’waarheid’’ en ‘’werkelijkheid’’ geproblematiseerd worden en dat leidt tot veel onzekerheid en frustratie.” De andere uitdaging is verbonden met technologie zoals The Internet of Things, waarbij de rol van de curator onherroepelijk zal veranderen. Hupperetz: “Als museale collecties onderdeel worden van dat internet der dingen, dan wordt het selecteren en beoordelen overgenomen door de zoeksystemen die achter Amazon, Google en Facebook zitten en krijgen we een heel andere dynamiek.”
Vertaling post-moderniteit naar museale praktijk
Hupperetz bouwt voort op de ideeën van zijn voorganger Ad de Jong, die zich in 2009 al afvroeg wanneer de volgende kentering in het museale domein zou komen. Hupperetz: “Naar mijn mening zitten we nog steeds middenin die kentering tussen modernisme en postmodernisme. De reflectie op de aloude moderniteit is cruciaal maar ook problematisch als het gaat om de vertaling naar de museale praktijk.” De leerstoel betreft in het bijzonder de studie der voorwerpen vanwege het Koninklijk Oudheidkundig Genootschap (KOG). In zijn onderzoek wil Wim Hupperetz duidelijk maken dat voorwerpen het voertuig zijn van ons collectief geheugen en als dynamisch erfgoed is de betekenis daarvan altijd in beweging. Hupperetz: “Het is simpelweg met de tijd meegaan. Dat klinkt eenvoudig, maar het betekent dat we ons open moeten stellen voor verandering, dat we nieuwsgierig zijn naar de ander, gevoelig zijn voor de biografie en diversiteit die besloten ligt in mensen en voorwerpen om ons heen. En dat is wat ik bedoel met het museum als medium van het geheugen.”
The differing value systems of modernism and postmodernism exist alongside each other to a significant extent, but also regularly collide. How do we deal with this: do we want to go back to the past, do we cleave to what we have, or do we go with the times? I hope to have clarified that we constantly create our own past by whatever means, that we link that past to places and objects, and that this is inevitably and irrevocably bound up with collective memory. I have used Caesar’s clay seal as example. It reveals the different types of historical awareness and the difference in evaluation. That awareness is significant because it may be an ordering principle for museums.
This chair concerns the study of objects and I have aimed to clarify that objects are the vehicle for our collective memory. Their meaning in terms of dynamic heritage is always in motion. I spoke about ‘going with the times’. That sounds so simple, but it means that we open ourselves to change, that we are curious about the other, sensitive to the biography and diversity locked up in the people and objects around us. We then arrive once more at the many-voiced and layered nature of our own identity.
Our amnesia is irrevocable, and the things we do gather up or preserve seems arbitrary. When the temple archive in Edfu burnt down hundreds of documents were lost. The clay seals that remained and were preserved after the fire in my view symbolise the balance that we should strive for in heritage management. Here the three stations of past, present and future form a simple guideline.
In the first place, the clay seal is an historical source, unlocking as an object different perspectives on Julius Caesar. At the same time it is important that we try to link this clay seal with the here and now. Just last year the seal was exhibited for the first time during the MuseumCamp at the Allard Pierson Museum. A publication is currently being prepared, and in the near future everyone will soon be able to make a 3D-print of it.
This object will thereby provide inspiration for new generations, and new layers of meaning will grow. What is important is that we have to allow ourselves a reservoir. It took more than a century before the relevance and meaning of this clay seal were perceived. But here we confront another paradox: that of the digital storage of our recollections. The more we store digitally, the more vulnerable and evanescent our digital memory turns out to be.
At the end of this lecture, I am afraid I have to confuse you a little. The clay seal with Caesar’s likeness has been the leitmotiv in my argument. But we do not know what Caesar really looked like by any means. Yes, we have coins depicting Caesar, but they are not uniform. And the likeness of sculpted portraits is still debated. Nevertheless, there is an image of Caesar in our collective memory, and so also in this museum object. In any event, this clay seal impression participates in our perception. And that is what I mean by the museum as medium of memory.
This book wants to show readers a different image of Rome, an image characterised first and foremost by the diversity of the Roman world. We can only understand that diversity if we study the Roman world as a whole – not split into east and west or into provinces – and in the context of world history. We will do so by looking into seven themes that together offer a comprehensive overview in which dynamics and change are the central concepts. In order to shed light on the local aspect, we will focus on three regions which are Roman in their very own and unmistakeable ways: the Italian peninsula, Egypt, and the Low Countries.
The Roman Empire has many faces. Some of the more important ones will be singled out here, creating a kaleidoscopic image of a changing world and a new image of the Roman Empire that will help to set rusty views in motion again.
Through exhibitions, blogs, videos, and publications, we were able to realize a new approach to the communication of Etruscan tombs and collections in exhibitions in the Netherlands and Belgium. At the end of the project, the final resulting applications will be installed for permanentuse in the Vatican Museums, Villa Giulia (Rome, IT) and Museum Formello (Veio, IT). Furthermore, this project proved that it is possible to enable and support cultural heritage institutions to create, run and exchange digital 3D reconstructions."
Summary [PhD thesis 2004 published by Matrijs (2004)
This research project is aimed at telling the story of the residents of a street located in an historical city centre. For this purpose, the history of the occupants of the houses in the Visserstraat, located in the city of Breda, has been studied. What have been the changes that the Visserstraat has been through in a spatial-fysical matter, in a social-economical matter or in the sense of the housing culture since the establishment of its first residents in the twelfth century, through to the commencement of the twenty-first century? These research questions are to be addressed in this dissertation.
The conducted study did not only yield interesting results with respect to the content of the findings – these will be elaborated upon in chapter seven – but it also led to a methodological quest aimed at answering four main questions. First of all, research efforts were aimed at establishing the size and span of the memory of one specific street, the Visserstraat in Breda. Two aspects can be distinguished for this purpose: the social-cultural proceedings and the spatial-fysical objects. Of both aspects sources are provided that can be used as the fundaments of a memory. In turn that memory can give rise to specific recollections that are closely related to historical notions. Three sorts of historical notions can be specified, which can be linked to three different time-levels, as described by Braudel. In the description of the history of residence in this street I will use this specification for providing structure. This study thus also provides insights into the availability of different sources. Because of the current academic tradition the possibilities of combining research results provided by distinct disciplines remains under utilized.
While establishing the size and span of the memory, the possibilities for gathering information on the micro-level of houses and street facts were also assessed. Following a micro-historical approach, the street and two construction blocks were studied in detail. Limiting the scope of research is an analytical principle that has a special added value if data are collected from different disciplines. Archaeological findings and historical data regarding construction then allow a much more precise dating as well as a more precise meaning. Naturally, these sources regarding the micro-level of houses and streets were not available for all periods. For this reason, the developments in the twelfth and thirteenth century are described at a city-level.
In second place, this study has tried to explore the boundaries of an integrated approach. This refers to the fact that data have been gathered and interpreted from the scope of various disciplines, ultimately yielding to combined results that show the social-economical, living-culture and urban development. It is even one more step to arrive at an interdisciplinary approach which allows the combination of results beforehand. For the ordering of the different disciplines and ways of study a distinction was made between three approaches, namely an object-oriented approach, a society-oriented approach which emphasizes the human being, and an ethnological approach. The distinction between the first two will be evident; the difference between the first two and the last approach lies in the fact that the ethnological approach relates the found data to the current state, thus placing a greater emphasis on their contextual meaning. Besides, it is not likely to state that these approaches could be used independently, as ethnological studies are often based on studies of materials, or on the results of social-economical studies. Conversely, ethnological concepts and interpretations are often tested using the ‘hard data’ of the other two disciplines.
Thirdly, the long-term perspective was studied, as the gathered data refer to eight-hundred years of history. For ordering the data the classification as event-, conjectural- and structural aspects was restored. In the Chapters two trough six, different objects and events are described. Each chapter refers to a time-span of two-hundred years, allowing the surface of the most important conjunctures. These are described in Chapter seven using an integrated approach where possible. In the cultural-historical analysis the structural elements of the studied area were brought to light. With respect to the spatial-physical matters, the parcellation, the structure of the construction blocks and the body of the houses were used as structural elements. With respect to the social-cultural aspects, the usage of the residences is the structural element, which can change of meaning depending on the conjectural state.
The fourth question refers to the possibilities of implementation of the cultural-historical analysis for cultural urban planning of the historical city centres. With respect to this implementation, a gap can be stated between the work of the historians and the specialists from urban development. This gap is the result of a lack of attention for:
- the social-cultural perspective of the inhabitants on the part of the urban development specialists
- the built environment by the historians
The memory of a street and the cultural-historical analysis can be used to aid the enduring debate regarding tradition and modernization, as it is conducted within the sector of the preservation of monuments and historic buildings and Urban Development, especially with respect to historical city centres. The tasks at the crossroads of these two disciplines, are currently being delegated to the discipline of Cultural Urban Planning. It is important to provide this relatively new discipline with a new content which ensures the conduction of studies from a truly integrated and multidisciplinary perspective.
Belongs to PhD thesis The memory of a street, eighthundred years living in the Visserstraat, Breda.
Belongs to teh PhD thesis by Wim Hupperetz
The cesspit was discovered during the restoration of a Breda house called 'De Drye Mooren', 'The Three Moors'. During the 17th century an inn was kept in the house, which was owned by the Breda Reformed Church and its 'Table of the Holy Ghost' (poor relief) from 1626 to 1703. In the church wardens accounts repairs and extensions to the building are mentioned. In the year 1663 the house was extended backwards. The outer wall of this extention closed the cesspit. That fact provides a datum ante quem. From the same accounts it appears that the pit was cleaned regularly, the last time before 1663 being after October lOth, 1661, the datum post quem. Apart from a small number of objects left behind by the cleaners, the vast majority of the objects must have been dumped between late 1661 and sometime during 1663.
As it is very likely that ceramic objects of an inn generally have a shorter lifespan than those from an ordinary household, many of the objects found were not much older than 1660. The numerous remains of the extremely fragile clay pipes is another corroboration of this dating. Of the 85 pipe bowls 49 bear marks, many of them of known local pipemakers.
The differentiation in pottery types found in the cesspit is rather typical for an inn: 50 out of 137 ceramic items were plates of one kind or another, 84 drinking glasses were counted (not published here), but only 11 pipkins. The number of stoneware jugs is not very large (13) which suggests that pewter jugs were used more frequently; an inventory of 1678 bears out this suggestion. In percentages: 70% of the pottery was used on the table, only 14% in the kitchen.
Wim Hupperetz
The region of the Limburg Meuse valley (Middenlimburgse Maasdal) was during the conquest excursions of Ceasar part of the civitas of the Eburones, which was led by the kings Ambiorix and Catuvulcus. A civitas was divided into pagi (Ambivariti?) who had a fairly autonomous political and religious position. The agricultural economy of the Eburones was vulnarable to internal warfare; the creation of reinforced settlements, stock shaping and the mobilisation of valuable resources was a way to limit this vulnarability
Reinforced settlements are not known from the Limburg Meuse valley. Both the settlement pattern as the burial ritual were uniformal which suggests an egalitarian social structure.
Due to the conquest raids of Caesar the Eburonian territory was depopulated and newcomers established themselves during the reign of Augustus in the valley of Rhine and Meuse.
According to the second century situation a mayor part of the Limbug Meuse Valley was part of the territory of the Cugerni or Ciberni and the Baetasii. This region was inhabited by German newcomers but there must have been some rest groups of Eburonians living there.
Furthermore was the Limburg Meuse valley (especially the surroundings of Tongeren) inhabited by immigrants from the Southern regions (the territory of the Treveri?) who were starting villa-farms.
From Augusteian time until the beginning of the second century the civitas organisation was established, strongly directed by the central government. The introduction of the Roman civitas model probably took place in the middle of the first century.
One of the causes of the poor interaction between traders (import goods) and the domestic consumers will have been the lack of a monetary economy. Whereas soldiers (Venlo and Ophoven?) more were more Romanized and had money and contacts, currency money in the domestic settlements played a marginal role.
A thorough adaptation of the agricultural system was still not the case in the first century. Probably the internal war sheathing and the fact that large parts of the male population had to serve in the Roman army had an important impact on the domestic economy.
The administrative and economic developments called undoubtedly large capacitances within the domestic society. It is however still unclear if the Batavian revolt can be considered primarily as a consequence of these capacitances.
Although the military presence at the Rhine border was increased directly after the Batavian revolt, the province Germania Inferior got gradually a more civil character; between 83-90 this province was transformed to a formal (border) province and in 98/99 the Colonia Ulpia Traiana were founded. This city formed the administrative and economic centre of the civitas Traianensium, to which the largest part of the Limburg Meuse valley belonged. Within the rural society in this area two socio-political entities can be distinguished.
The small group of villa-owners and soldiers were the most Romanized part of the population, and can be considered as the local elite. A number of persons and families from this group will have taken part in the governing board of the civitas. The strong Romanization becomes clear - among other things - from the fact that this elite was formed by Roman citizen who fulfilled administrative functions, had Roman names, who dedicated in the local sanctuaries and depicted themselves on wall paintings such as in the villa of Maasbracht.
Furthermore a large group of the domestic population can be distinguished. This group was organized within the pagus. The close link between the inhabitants of the pagus Catualinus and a villa owner and driver of the Colonia Ulpia Traiana, indicate that the pagani in this way had possibilities to enter directly to the levels of decision-making of the civitas government. It seems that this large group was dependent on the local elite. Within this group of native rural populations - on the basis of the settlement model - an overall bipartition can be made.
The inhabitants of the vici seem to take a different place beside the inhabitants of native agrarian settlements. Because of the economic position of the vici (local market function) the Romanizing influence was stronger. The quantitative comparison of the grave finds in the Limburg Meuse valley is suggesting a difference; the average number of given pieces pottery by grave lies in the vici three times as high as in the native agrarian settlements. It is possible that these vici were controlled by a number of magistri. The native agrarian settlements stood at the basis of the settlement hierarchy within the civitas Traianensium and were characterized by agrarian production on a small scale; these settlements were probably limited incorporated in the Roman market economy. In the local cult places - which functioned at the same level as native agrarian settlements - the smaller degree of Romanization is reflected. The introduction of the villae and the vici can be considered as a direct consequence of the economic changes. The villae rusticae produced for a central market and replaced the small scale farming partly. The vici played a role as local market and show the presence of specialized craftsmen as smiths and potters. Currency money seems to have played an important role in vici, in contrast to the native agrarian settlements where it fulfilled a marginal role. In the terra sigillata trade the Rhine played an important role as a supply route. Possibly the distribution of terra sigillata was centrally organized from certain points within the civitas (head places?). The import multiplied by five in the period 115-135 AD. in the middle of the second century terra sigillata was available in most of the settlements. Distribution of ordinary earthenware (mortars, goblets from Tongeren) and tiles was organized via the Meuse and seems to be organized in contrast to the terra sigillata trade, which was organized central. As from the end of the second century a decline of habitation of the Limburg Meuse valley is visible (grave fields). The exact causes (economic/ecological causes, raids?) are unclear; the disadvantageous impact of this development does not seem have touched the villa-system substantial. The most of the villae were abandoned during the Frankish raids around 275, which also marked the end of the villa economy in the Limburg Meuse valley. At the end of the third century a period of recovery and reorganizations followed under Diocletian. The administrative reorganization caused - among other things - that the civitas Traianensium became part of the province Germania Secunda; furthermore the taxes were regularly levied and had to be paid in kind. As a result of the new defense (depth) strategy along the Meuse some settlements were reinforced (Cuijk, Maastricht, Heel?, Stokkem?). The new Frankish raids from c. 340 resulted in 351/2 the end of the Colonia Ulpia Traiana and this caused also the end of the civitas Traianensium. The Roman governing board lost control of the Rhine area more and more during the middle of the fourth century and approximately 370 the province Germania Secunda was not functioning anymore. The areas of the Batavi and the Traianenses were opened for Frankish immigrants. The nature and the function of the new settlements in the Limburg Meuse valley are unclear. At the end of the fourth and the beginning of the fifth century there is increased activity at the border areas again; in 402 the Roman troops were called back to Italy and there came an end at 450 years Roman presence in northern Gaul. Probably the Limburg Meuse valley was depopulated in 402 in the same way as it was depopulated after Caesar left in 51 BCE. It would last up to the sixth century before the occupation increased in the Limburg Meuse valley as a result of Merovingian newcomers.
mummy portraits from Roman Egypt, which have
have become scattered across hundreds of museum
and private collections. Most of the portraits
were painted on wood and placed in the place of the
face on the mummy. About 5%
of these portraits were painted on textiles,
usually canvas. The Allard Pierson owns six
Roman-Egyptian mummy portraits,
including one on linen. About that portrait is
this article.
The fin de siècle was a period of incis ive change: urbanisation, the rise of mass consump tion and advertising, industrialisation, the class struggle, the women’s movement, the large-scale distribution of print. Artists and designers went in search of new forms; the new art, art nouveau, became popular throughout Europe as it was distributed through magazines and posters, but also through the world expositions which presented the latest applied art for the modern bourgeoisie to embellish their lives with.
Goddesses of Art Nouveau sheds new light on an extraordinary era and on the question as to how the image of woman was used in paintings, spectacular jewellery, the Rolls-Royce mascot, advertising posters and book covers, made by women and men. The book also contains a selection of the most striking art-nouveau objects from the collections of the Allard Pierson in Amsterdam, the Badisches Landesmuseum Karlsruhe, and the Braunschweigisches Landesmuseum Braunschweig.
with our own time. If we want to discuss the presentation
of the Early Middle Ages in museums, we will
have to take a closer look at the concept of that period:
what do we mean by ‘Early Middle Ages’? And we will
soon find ourselves in the nineteenth century. The concept
of ‘Middle Ages’ is, to a great extent, a nineteenthcentury
invention, a construct one cannot disconnect
from the rise of the Western European nation states.
At the time many European countries were looking
for originality and authenticity, and this movement was
strengthened by searching history for the beginnings
of the nation. As a consequence nineteenth-century
Western Europe saw the beginning of a large-scale
study of the medieval past, which was associated with
concepts such as community, identity and authenticity.
period of transformation when cultural exchange was
reflected in the development of different regional cultures
in Europe from Ireland to the Mediterranean, from
the Baltic to Greece and Spain. The overarching themes
of connectivity and diversity give shape to individual
elements such as the heritage of the ancient Roman Empire,
the effects of travel and the impact of war, the representation
of identity and the connection of knowledge
and faith as Jewish, Christian and Muslim groups coexisted,
reflecting the cohesive nature of Europe in the
Early Middle Ages.
On account of the model of the helmet and the Iberian inscription the helmet must date form the middle of the first century BC. That means that it could have been worn by one of Caesar's legionaries.
We also know mother goddesses from Italy, but is unclear whether these Italian Matres were identified with the Germanic Matronae. Since the latter ones wear Ubian attire, they appear to belong to native religion. We cannot exclude, however, that Romanised Ubians adopted a Gallic tradition and adapted it to their own custom. The Ubian terracottas were manufactured near Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium (present-day Cologne, Germany) and principally occur in the west of the Low Countries. Furthermore it is not improbable that ‘Roman’ terracottas of e.g. Diana, Fortuna, Minerva or Venus in fact represent native deities. It is remarkable that most terracottas depict goddesses, while statuettes of male deities were usually made of bronze.
As long as the museum has existed (eighty years in 2014), staff have tried to make Mediterranean Antiquity accessible to scholars and lay persons alike. The purpose of the objects was, and is, to provide insight into Western civilisation in past and present. The new display of the Roman collection brings out—perhaps more than the old one did—the connection between the objects on display and related research.
As the arts and sciences are never finished, so a museum’s collection is never complete. Fortunately the Allard Pierson Museum collections are still growing. Sometimes the objects in the collection reflect the director’s or curators’ predilections and interests. We see this in the collection of Roman glass, for instance, to which several remarkable pieces have been added following an exhibition on the subject in 2001. In the Roman department as in the entire museum, the collection owes its existence to private initiative. Donations have always left their mark on the collection.
An archaeological museum collection is the result of a long and continuing selection process which is the main factor in the collection’s significance. Our view on the objects is changed by new archaeological research, new techniques for visualisation and presentation, and increased insight into the ‘biography’ of the collections. Static, semipermanent or permanent displays of archaeology collections have little room to reveal those dynamics; for this reason, the Allard Pierson Museum has decided on a new concept geared toward dynamic presentation. A flexible modular showcase system will offer more possibilities to change the objects on display and to integrate new insights and technologies. Apart from that, the biggest challenge is in museum practice, in which curators are now spending more time and attention on continuous implementation of the renewal. That’s the key to success for a dynamic presentation of the Roman collection at the Allard Pierson Museum.
On the grounds of the Latin inscription it is plausible that this silver skyphos was made in Italy, probably in Campania. Its early date and finding place indicate a military connection; the inscription could point to a gift to or from an army commander in the emperor’s circle. The finding place also proves that luxury goods were traded over long distances. It remains unclear if this cup was lost by accident, deposited as a sacrifice, or hidden as a treasure.
This bronze helmet is almost semispherical, with a protruding neck guard at the back. The knob on top has been lost. The helmet’s finding place is unknown, but the patina indicates that it was not found in a river and may have been a burial gift.
The inscription in Iberian script and the name indicate that legionary Bekon was from one of the Spanish provinces. We know that Julius Caesar as governor of Hispania Ulterior (southern Spain) put together a legion there (the Tenth) in 61 BC. It was to be one of the legions he used to conquer Gaul and Britain. Caesar disbanded the Tenth in 45 BC; the veterans were given land and farms in the south of France and Spain.
On account of the model and the Iberian inscription, the helmet must date from the middle of the first century BC; that means that it could have been worn by one of Caesar’s legionaries.
The miniature mask was a burial gift, perhaps a souvenir for the deceased. This and similar terracottas illustrate the easy adaptation to Roman theatre culture on the one hand, and the endurance of strong local characteristics on the other.
Scholars have long assumed that in the province of Germania Inferior there was a clear-cut contrast between native and ‘Roman’ ways and cultural values. This cliché view, however, has taken a beating over the last years, because we have increasingly taken dynamics and reciprocal influence into consideration. The new approach does more justice to what Rome’s religious and cultural imperialism meant for local communities.
Local identities were under high pressure and were changing continuously—which is why mutual influence probably occurred between these identities and the values that from the central authority of the Roman Empire seeped through to the countryside of a border province on the Rhine.
The site of Edfu, south of Luxor and Karnak, was sacred to the falcon god Horus. Its temple, one of the best preserved sanctuaries of ancient Egypt, was built between 237 and 57 BC. The hoard of originally about 800 sealings may have been deposited after a conflagration burnt the documents to which they were attached.
They form the largest set of preserved clay seal impressions from Hellenistic Egypt. And yet, both halves have thus far not been studied and compared systematically. The Toronto half was published in two preliminary articles over a century ago; some of the Amsterdam examples have been published sporadically since the mid-1990s.
Two examples of Hellenistic clay seal impressions from Edfu: on the left the famous last queen of Egypt Cleopatra VII; and the right Julius Caesar, the Roman conqueror and dictator, who maintained a relationship with Cleopatra. (APM inv.nos. 8177-056 and 134.)
Over half of the sealings depict male or female heads or busts, the majority of which represent royal portraits from the second half of the Hellenistic period (that is, ca. 185-25 BC). This fact alone makes the Edfu sealings very important, as there are few securely identifiable portraits of the kings or queens of the Ptolemaic dynasty of the time.
Recent research has now established that all kings from Ptolemy VI through Ptolemy XII, and several of the queens from Cleopatra I through Cleopatra VII, can be recognized among the hoard. Additionally, seal impressions can be attributed to Alexander the Great, Ptolemy I and even Julius Caesar. This research project, The Edfu Connection, was made possible through generous support of the Mondriaan Fund and the Getty Research Institute.