 |
| |
| |
Archaeology and anthropology students can now explore the mysteries of the ancient Near East without leaving campus, thanks to a donation of artifacts by UA alumnus James Akins, a former ambassador to Saudi Arabia.
A member of the U.S. Foreign Service for more than 30 years, Akins amassed and reconstructed a substantial collection of Old World/Near East artifacts during his diplomatic postings. He has donated a large portion of the collection, the bulk of which is ceramic, to the Department of Classical Studies, Anthropology and Archaeology.
The collection of approximately 700 objects, of which more than 100 are complete vessels, covers an extensive range of time periods from prehistoric to early Islamic.
The majority of the artifacts are from Iraq, where Akins served for four years.
“Baghdad was my favorite post in the foreign service,” says Akins. “My wife Marjorie and I loved the country and the people. We would drive across the desert to explore archaeological sites that offered a wealth of surface finds — literally millions of completely undistinguished broken bits of pottery — the coke bottles of the age — but occasionally there would be enough pieces of a pot to make an honest reconstruction. More exciting was to find pieces of figurines; and most exciting, and exceedingly rare, was to find a whole cylinder or stamp seal.
“I gave the artifacts to the University because they are historically important,” adds Akins, who collected the artifacts in a systematic way and organized them by time periods. “What has happened to Iraq in the last 12 years and particularly this year has been absolutely heartrending for us. The looting and the destruction of the National Museum and the National Library with its unparalled collection of early Islamic books was one of the great tragedies of history.”
According to Timothy Matney, an associate professor of archaeology, the collection gives UA students access to materials that are rarely found outside of Iraq and provides the basis for numerous projects and research.
“One of the things most appealing about the collection is that unlike museum exhibits that usually cover beautiful ritual or ceremonial objects, Ambassador Akins’ artifacts were used by common people on a daily basis to harvest and store grain, prepare and consume meals, and do other mundane tasks,” says Matney.
“It’s a wonderful opportunity to learn about the people of the ancient Near East and to handle artifacts without having to go there,” adds Matney.
Akins, an Akron native, earned a bachelor’s degree in physics at The University of Akron in 1947 and received the Alumni Honor Award in 1980. His college studies were interrupted from 1944-46 when he served in the U.S. Navy.
He entered the Foreign Service in 1954, and worked in Naples, Italy; Paris and Strasbourg, France; Damascus, Syria; Beirut, Lebanon; Kuwait; and Baghdad, Iraq. He returned to Washington in 1965 and spent a year in the State Department’s secretariat. In 1967, he was assigned to the Office of Fuels and Energy, and he was appointed director within a year.
In September 1973, Akins was appointed ambassador to Saudi Arabia, a position he held for two years. Since 1976, he has been a consultant to multinational corporations on foreign policy and energy.
The Akins reside outside of Washington, D.C.
| |
|
|
|
|
