Albert William Van Buren

Albert William Van Buren (born February 17, 1878 in Milford , Connecticut , † February 4, 1968 in Rome ) was an American classical archaeologist .

Life

Albert Martin Van Buren came from an old, originally Dutch family. He was distantly related to the US President Martin Van Buren (1782–1862). His father was the Protestant clergyman James Heart Van Buren (1850-1918), temporarily bishop of Puerto Rico , his mother was Annie Marie Smith.

Albert William Van Buren studied at Yale University , where he received his bachelor's degree in 1900 . Several grants enabled him to further deepen his studies: He was a Macy Fellow (1900-1902), Clark Scholar (1900-1901) and Berkeley Scholar (1900-1902). In 1902 Van Buren went to the American School of Classical Studies in Rome (ASCSR) as a scholarship holder . In 1903 he was made a member of the Archaeological Institute of America . He stayed in Rome until 1906 and familiarized himself with all aspects of archeology. From 1906 to 1908 he returned to Yale as a lecturer. In 1908 he accepted a position as a librarian and lecturer at the ASCSR. In 1911 he was appointed associate professor.

After the merger of the ASCSR with the American School of Architecture in Rome to form the American Academy in Rome (AAR) in 1913, Van Buren was employed there as a librarian and associate professor. With a selection of his work between 1906 and 1913, he reached in 1915 his promotion to the Ph.D. at Yale University.

In 1923 Van Buren was appointed professor of archeology, in 1926 also curator of the AAR Museum of Antiquities and editor of the house's publications. As a curator, Van Buren developed the museum's numerous antiques, which the former director Richard Norton had acquired. During the Second World War , Van Buren was also managing director of the AAR library.

Van Buren retired in 1946. However, he continued to work scientifically and organizationally at the AAR. For his services he received the AAR gold medal in 1962.

Albert William Van Buren was married to the British archaeologist Elizabeth Douglas (1881–1961). Both spouses were corresponding members of the German Archaeological Institute . The couple's grave is in the Protestant cemetery in Rome near the Cestius pyramid .

In his research, Van Buren dealt with wide areas of archeology and antiquity. He published studies on ancient numismatics , epigraphy , architecture , sculpture, social history and topography. He has also written numerous articles for the Real Encyclopedia of Classical Antiquity (RE). He was a member of several scientific associations, including the Royal Numismatic Society and the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies in London as well as the Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia and the Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Literature (honorary member) in Rome.

Fonts (selection)

• The Temples of Castor and of Concord in the Roman forum . In: Classical Review . Volume 20 (1906), pp. 77-84
• The Palimpsest of Cicero's De Re Publica, a Transcription, with Introduction . In: Supplementary Papers of the American School of Classical Studies . Vol. 2 (1908), pp. 84-262
• A medallion of Antoninus Pius . In: Journal of Roman Studies . Volume 1 (1911), pp. 187-195
• The Ara Pacis Augustae . In: Journal of Roman Studies . Volume 3 (1913), pp. 134-141
• A Bibliographical Guide to Latium and Southern Etruria . Rome 1916. 2nd edition, Rome 1925. 3rd edition, Rome 1933. 4th edition, Rome 1938. 5th edition, Rome 1953
• Graecia antiqua. Maps and Plans to Illustrate Pausanias's Description of Greece . London 1930
• A Companion to the Study of Pompei and Herculaneum . Rome 1933
• Ancient Rome, As Revealed by Recent Discoveries . London 1936
• Loves and Lovers in Ancient Pompeii. A Pompeian Erotic Anthology . Salerno 1960. 2nd edition, Salerno 1976 (translation by Matteo Della Corte: Amori e amanti di Pompei antica. Antologia erotica Pompeiana . 1958)

literature

• Bulletin of the Archaeological Institute of America . Volume 59 (1968), p. 24.
• Frank Edward Brown: Albert William van Buren . In: Atti della Pontificia Accademia Romana di Archeologia. Reconditi . Volume 42 (1969/1970), pp. 31-36.
• James C. Anderson: The Thomas Ashby Collection of Roman Brick Stamps in the American Academy in Rome . Rome 1991, p. 12
• The centennial directory of the American Academy in Rome . Rome 1995, p. 316.

Web links

• Information on Albert William Van Buren's grave site