Object: Petra 43 At first glance, this limestone capital fragment appears to be a simple architectural element, but closer inspection reveals the striking visage of an elephant—a rare and powerful symbol in Nabataean art. This fragment, located in wall room 110, in the north/right alcove of Rhode Island Hall, was once part of a grand…
Object: M085 JIAAW, Minassian Collection The Joukowsky Institute is fortunate to have over 70 different oil lamps in its collection. Among them, Object M085 stands out due to its distinct shape. This particular oil lamp is made of ceramic and features a cobalt glaze, sourced from the Minassian Collection. Aside from the glaze, the lamp…
The Joukowsky Institute recognizes the invaluable contributions that Black and African American archaeologists have made to the field, and the world at large. This February, we are highlighting the work of ten Black anthropologists, archaeologists, and explorers who have revolutionized how we study and practice archaeology with an exhibit in Rhode Island Hall, the home…
What is known about Coin C070.06.05? What information can be found? In this post, all research related to Coin C070.06.05 will be discussed and added to. Known Information: Coin C070.06.05’s minting location is Aquileia, Italy. Its estimated creation date is 320 CE. The material it’s created from is unknown and who it depicts on its…
Artifact JI1804, tray 26: This is a felt hat, an artifact added to the Institute’s collection in October 2008. It was discovered in Providence, Rhode Island. Not much is known about this artifact, but looking at it you can tell it’s been exposed to the elements for a while. Looking at this image (to the…
Artifact JI1736, Glass and stone beads, and game counters. These artifacts are beads, pieces of jewelry, etc. They are stored in a small metal tin in the Institute’s Vault. They were found on a site in Carthage, an ancient deserted settlement, in North Africa. Carthage was known for its trading and for being the most…
Rhode Island Hall was constructed in 1840, making it the fourth oldest building on Brown University’s Main Green. The Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology and the Ancient World was founded in 2004. The Rhode Island Hall was assigned as the Institute’s new home. But first, the building needed to be gutted and renovated. The goal was…
Object Number: LC025 Object Title: Oil Lamp Object Type: lamp (lighting devices) Material: bronze (material) This bronze hanging oil lamp at first seems simple in design and purely utilitarian. However, upon further inspection one can see the handles attached to the chainlinks to be the heads of ducks or geese, masterfully crafted to exhibit…
This autumn, I, Joseph Carrino, a second year PhD student at the Joukowsky Institute for Archaeology, ran monthly View the Vault sessions. View the Vault events serve as public hours for the campus and community residents to get a glimpse at the artifacts housed in the Joukowsky Institute collection. Fortunately, I was assisted by Leah…
This summer, the Joukowsky Institute was excited to host two high school student interns from Skills Rhode Island’s PrepareRI program, Alex Gomez and Nicole Susana. As a part of their summer internship, they had the opportunity to see and discuss Valeria Luongo’s exhibition “When Women Fly.” Luongo is an Italian documentary photographer and filmmaker based…