Reflections on the History of “Classical Archaeology” in the United States

Abstract

The focus of the paper is on the book by the American scholar Stephen L. Dyson Ancient Marbles to American Shores: Classical Archaeology in the United States (1998), devoted to the emergence and shaping of this field in the United States. The author of this fundamental work is a professor of classical philology, president of the American Institute of Archaeology from 1995 to 1998, professor of Wesleyan University and the State University of New York at Buffalo, and over the course of his career director of numerous research projects in Italy. His research interests cover a wide range of issues in the history and archaeology of Rome and Roman Italy. He has taught numerous courses for undergraduates and graduate students, including those of a historiographical nature. The book in question is, without exaggeration, the first synthetic work tackling the complex process of the formation of classical archaeology in the United States. Dyson analyzes the work of leading American scholars, describes their achievement, particularly fruits of the study of ancient Greek and Roman sites and remains, and the role of institutions such as museums and universities in the professionalization of classical archaeology in the US. Some of Dyson’s arguments concerning the stages, trends, issues, and prospects in the development of classical archaeology in the US provoke reflection, including on the state of affairs in Ukrainian research and education. In particular, the author of the paper draws attention to the importance of intergenerational continuity in this kind of scholarship, the role of state institutions and programs, and the state of higher education in history, where such specialists are trained. The paper concludes with some considerations regarding the future of classical archaeology in Ukraine.