L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 28 L'Italo-Americano O n Sunday, October 15, 2017, L'Italo- Americano was invited to attend Artifacts & Ant- ipasto, a special event held at the U.C. Berkeley's Phoebe Hearst Museum of Ant- hropology, showcasing Etruscan and Roman works. Attendees were able to enjoy antipasto and hear from several notable speakers while exploring the Museum's ongoing exhibit, "People Made These Things." Speakers at the evening's event included San Francisco Consul General, Lorenzo Ortona, Professor of Roman Archaeolo- gy at U.C. Berkeley, Chris Hal- lett, Director of the Hearst Muse- um, Ben Porter, and Project Director of the Mario Del Chiaro Center for Ancient Italian Stud- ies, Dr. Lisa Pieraccini. The collections of Classical antiquity—from the ancient Mediterranean cultures of Greece, Etruria, and Rome—are comprised primarily of the objects brought back by Alfred Emerson, one of Phoebe Hearst's original collecting agents. Between 1900 and 1904, the for- mer Classics professor assem- bled about 4,200 pieces, primari- ly painted ceramics but also marble sculpture, bronzes, glass, mosaics, and coins. Currently included in that collection are approximately 2,000 artifacts from the Etruscan period. On display that evening were a num- ber of bucchero items, a class of ceramics produced in central Italy by the region's pre-Roman Etruscan population. Ben Porter, Director of the Hearst Museum, introduced the evening's speakers by saying, "This is the first inaugural exhib- it in our newly renovated space where we have students and members coming to the museum to study." Dr. Pieracini was next and explained, "Artifacts & Antipas- to, the event for which you are here this evening, was created to express gratitude to the Del Chiaro friends, donors and sup- porters, collaborators and stu- dents. The Del Chiaro Center for Ancient Italian Studies and the Phoebe Hearst Museum exempli- fy the important resources the University offers as a hub for the study of ancient Italy. The largest Etruscan collection west of the Mississippi is here at U.C. Berkeley: we have pulled out artifacts this evening just to give you a taste of the collection. The Del Chiaro Center is the first combined to offer exceptional experiences and research possi- bilities and prides itself in pre- serving the future of Italy's past." The evening's speakers con- cluded with remarks by Consul General Lorenzo Ortona. "I have to say, for a Roman like me to enter the room and see the buc- chero pottery is just like being in another space and time. My pres- ence here today is to give official support to this wonderful space here in Berkeley. It is an extraor- dinary opportunity to showcase the future of Italy's past. The exhibit is particularly important not only to exhibit these beauti- ful works and showcase the importance of ancient civiliza- tions, but also to give American students the opportunity to go to Italy and participate in archaeol- ogy, and for that we are grateful. I am very happy about tonight." Affiliated with Berkeley's Graduate Group in Ancient His- tory and Mediterranean Archae- ology, the Mario Del Chiaro Center is intended to promote and advance the study of the many cultures of ancient Italy, with special emphasis on the Etr- uscans and Romans. It also sup- ports teaching and research at the University addressing the rela- tions and interactions of these peoples with the other cultures of the ancient Mediterranean. The Center encompasses an interdisciplinary approach to research and teaching, combin- ing archaeology and material culture studies with history, art history, and inter-cultural rela- tions. It organizes conferences, sponsors lectures, workshops, and exhibitions, and seeks to offer students a range of archaeo- logical fieldwork experiences in Italy. Beside providing travel funds for students to participate in Italian excavations, the Center also periodically brings to Berke- CATHERINE ACCARDI Artifacts & Antipasto – Etruscan & Roman antiquities at U.C. Berkeley ley, as invited lecturers, distin- guished scholars in the fields of ancient art, religion, history, and the archaeology of Italy. In addi- tion, a new collaboration is evolving at the Center. The Del Chiaro Center is partnering with some of Italy's finest museums: the Villa Giulia in Rome and the Capitoline Museum, also in Rome. Project Director, Dr. Lisa Pieraccini, tells L'Italo-Ameri- cano, "UC Berkeley's Del Chiaro Center for Ancient Italian Studies has a very clear mission: 'To Pre- serve the Future of Italy's Past'. We do this through our teaching and our ability to offer formida- ble research experiences for our students. The numerous collabo- rations we have organized in such a short time, both on cam- pus and abroad (in Italy) speak to the interdisciplinary nature of our center. The Del Chiaro Center is therefore a hub for scholarly exchange and provides excava- tion and research opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students. It organizes confer- ences, workshops and exhibits both locally and in Italy." For more information about the Center, contact Lisa Pieracci- ni at lisap@berkeley.edu. The Mario Del Chiaro Center for Ancient Italian Studies is located at the University of California, Berkeley, 7233 Dwinelle Hall, #2530, Berkeley, California. The Center's website is http://www.csancientitaly.com. The Phoebe Hearst Museum of Anthropology is located on the U.C. Berkeley campus in Kroe- ber Hall on Bancroft Way at Col- lege Avenue. You can visit the museum's website at http:// hearstmuseum.berkeley.edu From the left: Brad Barber, Carlos Norena, Lisa Pieraccini & Consul General Lorenzo Ortona. Photograph courtesy of Lisa Pieraccini Consul General Ortona speaking at Artifacts & Antipasto. Photograph courtesy of Lisa Pieraccini SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

• Cover