Maria Teresa D'Alessio: Editoriale
Olof Brandt:
The AIAC web site
ISTITUTI
Massimiliano Ghilardi:
Per gli 80 anni di vita dell'Istituto Nazionale di Studi romani
Allan Klynne:
The Swedish Institute in Rome; L'Istituto Svedese di Studi Classici a Roma
CONVEGNI
Federica Chiesa:
"Offerte dal regno vegetale e dal regno animale nella dimensione del sacro"
INCONTRI AIAC
Eleonora Fossile:
La topografia di Aricia, Lanuvium e del Nemus Dianae tra antichità e medioevo
Sabrina
Cimini:
La Valle del Sangro tra tardo-antico ed
alto medioevo: note di topografia
Allan Klynne
The Swedish Institute in Rome
Istituto Svedese di Studi Classici a Roma
On the 10th of June 1940 Einar Gjerstad was taking some final notes by the Comitium, when the breeze from Piazza Venezia suddenly carried the words of Il Duce, who was declaring that Italy had joined the war. Two weeks later the new building of the Swedish Institute (SI) on Via Omero 14 was inaugurated under rather gloomy auspices. As the new director Erik Sjöqvist arrived later that summer, he faced a strange situation: while almost every other foreign institute and academy was closing down, the SI had to continue the everyday routine as usual. The initial lecture for the annual archaeology course took place in February 1941, but the Swedish students had not yet arrived. During the war the SI nevertheless became an asylum for researchers of various nationalities, who, despite the tense circumstances, tried to maintain an international scientific dialogue and a humanistic point of view. As World War II drew to a close, the idea of an international forum for facilitating international dialogue and cooperation in the post War World had matured, and so, on May 5th 1945, AIAC was founded at the round table in the institute’s library.
But the history of the SI had actually started several years earlier. Thanks to an initiative by the Crown Prince Gustaf Adolf, who held an interest in archaeology, the SI was founded at the royal castle in Stockholm on May 28, 1925. The aim was “to bring Swedish culture in closer contact with ancient culture” and to promote research in the humanities and the arts in general. During its first years, the SI was housed in flats on Via del Boschetto 68 (1926–28) and in Palazzo Brancaccio on Via Merulana 247 (1928–40). In her charming book My Roman lion (1971, translated into English 1975) Renata Wrede, daughter of the first director Axel Boëthius, describes Rome of the late 1920’s from a six year old child’s perspective. Her account of scholars and diplomats of the day, as well as excursions to Ardea and Tarquinia, constitutes a fascinating testimony from a period of the SI whose history never has been written.
The boom for the SI more or less coincided with the reign of Gustaf VI Adolf (1950–1973), “Il Re archeologo”, who actively took part in the excavations at San Giovenale, Luni sul Mignone and Acquarossa. This royal interest triggered generous sponsoring from different sources in Sweden, and on the local level work was facilitated by the industrious and dedicated Gino Filipetto, the librarian of the SI between 1944 and 1977. However, the ambitious large scale projects – perhaps too large for such a small country – left a Nachlass that a generation of Swedish scholars have been struggling with to this day. The policy during the 1970’s and 80’s was therefore to scale down the involvement in larger field work, instead supporting joint Nordic projects such as Ficana (1975), Castor & Pollux (1983) and Nemi (1998). Research with a more problem-oriented focus was started by younger students that were never part of the “Etruscan generation”, such as San Lorenzo in Lucina (1993) and Villa di Livia (1996). Several interdisciplinary projects are currently under way: Palazzo Lancellotti ai Coronari (2002), Un re svedese a Blera: Storia sociale di una missione archeologica (2004), Via Tiburtina: Space, Movement and Artefacts in the Urban landscape (2004).
Among the publications of the SI the Acta Instituti Romani Regni Sueciae in 4º and 8º (1932–), Lectiones Boëthianae (1971–), Opuscula Archeologica (1935–52), Opuscula Romana (1954–) and the newly founded on-line publication The Swedish Institute in Rome. Projects and Seminars (2004–) should be mentioned.
The SI has a tight organization, with a board in Stockholm and small staff in Rome. There are only three academic positions: the director, who according to the statutes should be a Classical archaeologist, the vice director (since 1991) who should be an art historian and a research assistant (since 1985), also a classical archaeologist. The local office consists of one administrator, one secretary and two librarians.
The annual program consists of a 10 week course in Art History for PhD students during the fall semester, which has been given since 1959. During the spring semester a 10 week course of Classical Archaeology is given, which covers not only the topography of Rome, but also Etruria, Campania, Sicily and/or Sardinia. This course is aimed at postgraduates working on their Master’s and has been given more or less uninterrupted since 1927. The SI offers four full year scholarships, one for Classical archaeology, one for architecture, one which alternates between the Arts and Philology, and one that is open to other disciplines, such as conservation and cultural heritage management. The institute can house up to 15 visiting scholars simultaneously.
In the Swedish higher education system, Classical Archaeology and Ancient History (which was split from Greek and Latin in 1909 to form its own discipline) is rated as a “minor subject”. Some of the four university departments today are facing problems of survival, and the national archaeological service cannot, for obvious reasons, offer any positions. The importance of the SI as a platform for Swedish scholars can therefore not be underestimated. It is to be hoped that Swedish research will continue to contribute to an increased knowledge of the Ancient world, and that the SI may continue to play an active part in the international community, devoted to a better understanding of the past and present Italy and Europe.
A “classical collection” of Swedish directors, from left to right: Einar Gjerstad (1935–1940), Erik Sjöqvist (1940–1948), Axel Boëthius (1926–1935, 1952–53, 1955–1957), Olof Vessberg (1953–1955), and Erik Welin (1957–1961). Far right: Gino Filipetto (librarian 1944–1977). Photo from 1958.