On the 29th of September 2023, the Classical Collections Network hosted its first joint event with the Hellenic and Roman Societies, on the topic of Classical Collections in Scotland. It was a great opportunity to connect with members of other organisations working on similar material and to get to know Scotland’s classical collections a bit better. The one day event was hosted at National Museums Scotland and the day was introduced by Vicky Donnellan on behalf of the Classical Collections Network, Lesley Fitton from the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies and Fiona Haarer from the Society for the Promotion of Roman Studies.
In the first panel Margaret Maitland gave an overview of the contents and history of the Mediterranean Archaeology collections at National Museums Scotland. After that Anja Slawisch shared another Edinburgh based collection, held at Edinburgh University and actively used in teaching. Rob Longworth and Thania Meneses-Flores from the Trimontium Trust shared a selection of “mystery objects” from places other than the Trimontium fort site, and how they have recently been digitised as part of the Digital Romans project. Andy Mills then presented the Greek, Roman and Etruscan material in the Hunterian museum and the challenges of curating this material as a specialist in Pacific art.
The next panel kicked off with a talk from Judith Hewitt called ‘Dumfries Museum: Far away lands, local collectors’, giving an overview of projects relating to Ancient Egyptian and East Asian collections. She pointed to how similar approaches might be applied to classical collections, to investigate how collections from Cyprus came to Scotland. and showed how exploring these histories can offer tangible connections to colonialism that can build a more outward-looking approach to local histories. Alison Hadfield gave a talk about how the University of St Andrews collection of objects from Cyprus is used in teaching and outreach, including the Through a Glass Darkly project. Christina Donald provided an introduction to the Classical collections in The McManus: Dundee’s Art Gallery and Museum, which include vases attributed to the collections of Thomas Hope and William Hamilton. Abigail Allan shared her work on Greek vases and other archaeological material in National Trust collections, which is now moving on to collections held by the National Trust of Scotland, and the value of such material for researchers. Finally, Anna Reeve presented on her research on the Ancient Mediterranean collections at Summerlee Museum.
After a much-appreciated cup of tea, there was a guided tour of the Classical collections on display at the National Museum of Scotland, led by Margaret Maitland and Daniel Potter. Thanks to the hosts, the organisers and all who attended for an informative and enjoyable day. A particular thank you for the funding for travel provided by the Hellenic and Roman Societies, and to National Museums Scotland for providing the room and refreshments.
Classical Collections Network 