Christina Ross

UC 310 | 10:30-10:45 PM  

Repatriated objects are antiquities that were smuggled out of a country and then later returned to their country of origin through international negotiations. They are a new ‘genre’ of items to be curated because they are politically charged. I visited the archaeological museums in Naples, Paestum, and Aidone in Italy and researched how each museum curated repatriated artifacts, which were previously exhibited as solely aesthetic objects in the United States. In the past two decades, numerous works, purchased for millions of dollars, have been returned to Italy from museums in the United States with no reimbursement on the basis that they are the cultural property of Italy. This link to modern politics, international cooperation, and cultural heritage makes them unique to study as a set and each museum handles the display in a different manner. I studied this by visiting each museum, observing the exhibit, and making note of how each was advertised, highlighted, or discussed within the framework of the museum. Ultimately, it was clear that the three individual museums each emphasized different agendas driven by such various influences as nationalist politics, the connection between art and human emotion, and local history.

I heard about the URA program when I was first applying to UMBC in 2007, and it has always been something for which I planned on applying--and, with any luck, receiving!

I always knew that I wanted to study abroad in Italy, and to enrich my experience, I wanted to conduct research during my time there. When I knew for sure that I was going to be studying Archaeological Conservation in Florence, and that I would be working with Etruscan artifacts, I went to the professor in my department who has the most expertise in Etruscan archaeology, Dr. Marilyn Goldberg, and we began to brainstorm project ideas.

The URA Application wasn't especially difficult, though to write a strong, clear, and concise proposal certainly wasn't easy. I had help from my mentor, of course, and also from friends who have had little or no experience with the subject. They helped me to make sure that my proposal would be clear and understandable to non-experts in the field.

While conducting the travel portion of my research in Italy, I was able to gain permission to access the library of the Archaeological Superintendent of Tuscany. My professors in Italy were also able to connect me with some of the top scholars in Etruscan Archaeology, who in turn provided me with some advice on where I might find the most information relevant to my research.

I think that very few research projects ever end up working out exactly as planned. During my travels, my visits to museums, and my attempts to gather a large and strong corpus of images for my study, I was constantly having to slightly tweak my viewpoint or the direction in which I had been planning on going with this project. It can be very difficult to keep your mind open to changes, and not allow yourself to be biased by your original hypotheses, while researching and interpreting evidence, but this is also extremely important.

I had completed five semesters of various Archaeology and History courses before applying for the URA. In the courses I had written research-based term papers, as well as papers based mainly on the interpretation of artifacts and images. My URA research is the first large-scale, artifact-based project I have undertaken, but I feel confident in my preparation, especially having the guidance and support of my mentor, Dr. Goldberg.

I would absolutely recommend this kind of research to others! Unfortunately, these days, many people don't see how important it is that we understand the ancient civilizations of the world, for nothing that exists today would be the way that it is had it not been for the people and civilizations that existed before us. Understanding ancient history and archaeology is just as important to us in the twenty-first century as is understanding the political and cultural implications of World War II, or understanding the mechanics of the circulatory system. This kind of research is not only personally rewarding, it is important for all of humankind.

I will be graduating in May 2012 and I plan on going straight to graduate school to study Near Eastern Archaeology, and (hopefully) Archaeological Conservation.