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Prof.dr. Ruurd B. Halbertsma

Curator collection Classical World (Greece, Etruria, Roman Empire) and Provincial Roman Archeology (The Netherlands)

tel:  +31 (0)71 5163 163 / 5163 154
fax: +31 (0)71 5149 941
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Ruurd Halbertsma (1958) studied Classical Languages, Ancient History and Classical Archaeology at the University of  Leiden. He performed fieldwork in Italy and led excursions to Greece, Turkey, Italy and Tunisia. During his studies, he had already become interested in the history of archaeological collecting in Europe and the specific role of the Netherlands in that. This interest resulted in his dissertation about the origin of the 19th century collections of Punic, Etruscan and Egyptian art in the Netherlands: "Le solitaire des ruines - the archaeological journeys of Jean Emile Humbert (1771-1839) in the service of the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Leiden, 1995)". He published articles and monographs, gave lectures on his field of interest at universities in Copenhagen, Paris, New Haven (Yale) and Cambridge (Harvard).

Besides his appointment as curator, Halbertsma is attached to the Faculty of Archaeology of Leiden University as lecturer in museology and the history of archaeology.

Expertise

• Material culture of Greece, Etruria and the Roman Empire
• History of archaeological collecting
• Museum studies

Key research projects

The 19th century as cradle of modern archaeology: the history of Dutch archaeology is largely the history of the National Museum of Antiquities for all of the 19th century. An attempt is made to present an overview of the most significant developments in this period that have resulted in the emergence of large collections of archaeology and that have prompted ideas about the ideal presentation of a collection related to antiquity.

Representative publications

• Le solitaire des ruines - de archeologische reizen van Jean Emile Humbert (1771-1839) in dienst van het Koninkrijk der Nederlanden (Leiden, 1995)
• Etruskische Cultuur (Amsterdam, 1991)
• Brons uit de Oudheid (Amsterdam, 1992, in samenwerking met P. Akkermans, M.J. Raven en M. Brouwer)
• Beeldhouwkunst uit Hellas en Rome (Amsterdam, 1996)
• Scholars, Travellers and Trade - The Pioneer Years of the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, 1818-1840 (London/New York, 2003)
• Schitterend Glas uit Egypte, Griekenland en Rome (Zwolle 2006)
• From Distant Shores: Nineteenth-Century Dutch Archaeology in European Perspective, in: Schlanger, N./Nordbladh, J. (eds.), Archives, Ancestors, Practices - Archaeology in the Light of its History, (New York/Oxford, 2008)

Representative exhibitions

• Ancient Art: Greece, Etruria and Rome (Tokyo/Leiden, 1989-1990)
• Once Freud's - the archaeological collection of Dr. Sigmund Freud (1994)
• A world of wine - wine in classical antiquity (1996)
• Reorganisation of the departments for Greece, Etruria, Roman Empire and Netherlands Provincial-Roman Archaeology (1999-2001)
• Asterix and Europe (2001)
• Brilliant Glass (2006)
• Brilliant Bijoux (2007, in cooperation with P. Akkermans, A. Willemsen and M.J. Raven)
• Models of Beauty, masterpieces in plaster (2008)

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