Adolf Furtwängler and the Great Systematisation of Antiquity: Die antiken Gemmen Project 1885-1900
Data evento
29 September 2026
When published in 1900, Adolf Furtwängler’s monumental and lavish three-volume Die antiken Gemmen. Geschichte der Steinschneidekunst im klassischen Altertum was unanimously hailed as his magnum opus, a model work of reference for the new century, and an achievement that made German Wissenschaft proud. The book was widely understood as more than just a study of engraved gems: it was seen as an ambitious cultural history of the ancient Mediterranean civilizations, based on source material that Furtwängler’s nineteenth-century predecessors had deemed unreliable and problematic, but which he was now making available, in a completely restructured form, to the scholarly community as a solid basis for further research. This lecture takes a closer look at Furtwängler’s ambitious project, which took a decade and a half to complete, its prehistory, its achievements and initial reception, as well as its long term impact.
https://www.sia.gr/en/events.php?eid=606&date=2026-09-29
The seminar will take place in a hybrid format, with live presence at the Swedish Institute at Athens, Mitseon 9, and online via Zoom: