Why archaeological context is the secret life of Roman marble
A marble statue is more than just stone; it is a vessel for history. While some pieces arrive via the antiquities market with mysterious origins, others carry the precise fingerprints of their past, revealing the lost grandeur of ancient cities through the power of scientific excavation.
The exhibition "Making Sense of Marbles: Roman Sculpture at the OI" explores the profound difference between objects found in situ and those acquired through commerce. At the heart of this distinction is the concept of archaeological context. When an object is recovered from a specific, documented location, it carries a narrative that transcends its physical form. Without this context, a sculpture is merely an aesthetic object; with it, it becomes a historical witness.
A significant portion of the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures (OI) collection provides this vital layer of information. Between 1956 and 1958, OI archaeologists excavated the site of Ptolemais in Libya. This mission yielded remarkable finds, most notably two life-size marble statues. These pieces were once part of the City Baths at Ptolemais, and their documented placement allows researchers to reconstruct the social and architectural landscape of the Roman era.
The exhibition, co-curated by Kiersten Neumann, the OI Museum's interim chief curator, and Roko Rumora, a PhD candidate from the University of Chicago's Department of Art History, places these excavated treasures in direct contrast with Roman works purchased from the antiquities market. While the market pieces are significant, they lack the traceable lineage of the Ptolemais finds.
Running from September 15, 2022, to March 12, 2023, the exhibition invites viewers to look at the OI’s Roman marbles through a contemporary lens. Sixty-five years after these pieces were first displayed in the OI Museum galleries, the exhibition encourages a more nuanced appreciation of the collection, acknowledging the complex and often divergent histories that each stone carries.
Source: Making Sense of Marbles: Roman Sculpture at the OI | A Special Exhibition
