Founding and Vision

The Johns Hopkins University Archaeological Collection was founded in the nineteenth century through the interest of the University’s first President, Daniel Coit Gilman. His vision of learning through research still guides the University. Ever since, the collection has directly supported the teaching of courses by providing antiquities as a primary resource for study and research.

Holdings

As a result of the tradition President Gilman established, the University is endowed with a learning collection of international distinction, much of which is still unpublished. Its Greco-Roman and Near Eastern collections extend from pre-dynastic Egypt into the Byzantine and Islamic periods.

Status and Needs

The collection lacks a complete and up-to-date inventory. The only published catalog {Ellen Reeder Williams, The Archaeological Collection of The Johns Hopkins University (JHU Press [1984])} was printed in 1984 and has been out of print since 1997; even that publication only covers highlights. Those objects and many others in the Collection are important enough to be considered for reinterpretation.

A new basic catalog alone would be insufficient to meet the Collection's original research goal. The online tool we are designing will provide access and growing documentation along with the means for an intellectual dialogue. Following the Collection’s original intent, it will stimulate critical thinking and greater understanding of civilizations past.

Presenting Information: Breadth and Flexibility

Our system will provide a tool for use at many levels. To the new student and the more advanced researcher, it will offer information, a forum for exchange, and further material to stimulate thinking. The user will be able to select from among the following:

• general introductory texts and online resources catalog
• information on a specific object, such as dimensions, material, technique, cultural origin, subject matter, and use
• a range of interpretive material, not only from scholarly publications and professional consultations, but also from student research and text prepared for student exhibitions
• research questions, objects for comparison, and differing opinions

Inclusivity: Scholarly Exchange and the Sharing of Research

By enabling users to become contributors, the system will set up a forum for scholarly exchange. As a result of this exchange, we hope to raise questions and invite depth and subtlety of study. In addition, knowing that their work may be retained and put online to expand the ongoing interpretation of the Collection, will encourage contributors to conduct and submit their research.

Accessibility and Research

Access to documentation through this system, available internationally to registered users, will make the collection itself a more visible resource. As a result, we hope that scholars and institutions will be more aware of the Collection’s unique holdings, and will contribute to the catalog’s organic growth over time. The eventual inclusion of the objects in exhibitions and publications will in turn expand the documentation, encourage further research, and increase the appreciation of the collection as a whole.

Professional Standards

Vocabulary-controlled fields with a hierarchically ordered lexicon and a geographical atlas will mold submitted texts to international standards for museum nomenclature. A carefully designed database structure for information entry and the review of submissions by Collection staff will ensure professional consistency.

Immediate Usage

• Museum Studies Courses
• Courses in Classics, Near Eastern Studies, History of Art, and Materials Science
• Collaborations with the Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art

Implementation

The information will be stored in a Microsoft Access database. This will made available online through a ColdFusion, DHTML-enhanced interface. Secure login for registered users will be provided through the assistance of Johns Hopkins Enterprise Services.

Funding and Needs

Through a generous grant from JHU Center for Educational Resources, a small team has been able to lay the groundwork for the Symposium Project. Further funding is being sought to complete the technical implementation and gather research for initial entries. Additional funding will be crucial to ensuring the Symposium Project’s maintenance and improvement for years to come.