Sarre, Friedrich Paul Theodor, 1865-1945 Search this
Extent:
150 Linear feet (circa 30,000 items)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Blueprints
Journals (accounts)
Photographs
Clippings
Notebooks
Drawings
Sketchbooks
Articles
Paper squeezes
Correspondence
Diaries
Sketches
Rubbings
Place:
Turkey
Mesopotamia
Bakun, Tall-e (Iran)
Iran
Iraq
Lebanon
Persepolis (Iran)
Pasargadae (Extinct city)
Taq-e Bostan Site (Iran)
Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq)
Syria
Date:
1903-1947
Summary:
An outstanding scholar in the field of Iranian studies, Ernst Herzfeld (1879--1948) explored all phases of Near Eastern culture from the prehistoric period to Islamic times. This collection documents Herzfeld's excavations at Samarra, Persepolis, Pasargadae, and Aleppo and includes correspondence; field notebooks; drawings; sketchbooks; inventories of objects; "squeeze" copies of architectural details; and photographs.
Scope and Contents:
Papers (1899--1962) of German born archaeologist Ernst Emil Herzfeld (1879--1948), a preeminent scholar of Near Eastern and Iranian studies. The collection measures 150 linear feet (circa 30,000 items) and documents Herzfeld's work as a pioneer in the field and sheds light on his excavations at Samarra, Persepolis, Pasargadae, and Aleppo. Formats include correspondence; field notebooks; drawings; sketchbooks; inventories of objects; "squeeze" copies of architectural details; and photographs.
Arrangement:
This collection is organized into seven series.
Series 1: Travel journals
Series 2: Sketchbooks
Series 3: Notebooks
Series 4: Photographic files 1-42
Series 5: Drawings and maps
Series 6: Squeezes
Series 7: Samarra Expedition
Biographical / Historical:
The Ernst Herzfeld Papers document the career of Ernst Herzfeld (1879--1948), a German architect, archaeologist, and historian of Islamic and Pre-Islamic studies. After training as an architect he studied archaeology under Delitzch from 1903 to 1906 at the excavations at Assur in Mesopotamia. A student of Latin, Greek, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew, Herzfeld received a doctorate in Humanistic Studies at universities in Munich and Berlin in 1907. His work with Friedrich Sarre to survey the monuments of the Tigris-Euphrates valleys resulted in landmark studies in architectural history, published in 1911 and 1920.
In 1920 Herzfeld was appointed to the chair of Historical Geography in Berlin and began his excavation at Samarra. Herzfeld's work there led to a six-volume publication. He published widely throughout his life on the sources of Islamic architecture and ornament, including the Royal Palace at Persepolis.
From 1934 until the end of his life Herzfeld spent his time producing many books and articles, lecturing, and working at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton (1936--1945.) Many of his works continue to be published post-humously.
1879 July 23 -- Born in Celle, Germany.
1897 -- Received diploma from Joachimsthaler Gymnasium, Berlin.
1897-circa 1898 -- Fulfilled military service.
circa 1899 -- Studied architecture at the Technical University and Assyriology, art history, and philosophy at the Friedrich-Wilhems Universität in Berlin.
1903 -- Passed exam in structural engineering.
1903-1905 -- Assistant to Walter Andrae (1875-1956) in Assur.
1905-1906 -- Traveled throughout Iran and Iraq.
1907 -- Excavation in Cilicia. Passed oral exam in February. Awarded doctorate in Humanistic Studies by Friedrich-Wilhems Universtät zu Berlin. After receiving Ph.D. traveled extensively in Syria and Iraq with Friedrich Sarre, director of the Islamic Museum in Berlin.
1911-1913 -- Field Director under direction of Sarre during expedition to Samarra.
circa 1914 -- Drafted into service in France and Poland during World War I. Sent to Iraq where he functioned as a surveyor.
1916 -- Father died.
1917 -- Appointed associate professor for Historical Geography and Art History of the Ancient Orient at Berlin. Along with Friedrich Sarre and others, founded the German-Persian Society to increase cultural and economic exchange between Germany and Persia.
1920 -- Appointed world's first full professor of Near Eastern Archeology. Begins excavation at Samarra.
1922 -- Mother died.
1923-1934 -- In Persia, where he completed many excavations and studies.
1928 -- Excavation at Pasargadae.
1931-1934 -- Appointed director of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and moved to Persepolis.
1934 -- As grandson of Jews, Nazi legislation expelling state employees of Jewish descent forced Herzfeld to retire as a professor employed by the state. Moved to London.
1936 -- Delivered Lowell Lectures. Moved to Boston. Lectured on Iranian history and appointed a member of the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.
1944 -- Retired from Princeton University.
1948 January 20 -- Died.
Provenance:
Ernst Herzfeld donated his papers to the Freer Gallery of Art in 1946.
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
The material from the excavations at Samarra, except for the photographs mounted in Photo Files 19--3, and drawings which are in Series 5: Drawings.
"Two campaigns of excavation at Samarra in Iraq, carried out by Ernst Herzfeld on behalf of the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin between the years 1911 and 1913 mark the beginning of large-scale archaeological research on Islamic antiquities. During this time, Herzfeld was supported for brief periods by the swiss architect Samuel Guyer, Commander von Ludloff, various technical assistants, and finally Friedrich Sarre, who was the director of the Islamic department at the museum and initiator of the expedition. For most of the time, however, all tasks that today would be divided among a team of archaeologists rested solely on Herzfeld's shoulders: coordinating hundreds of workmen at various sites, measuring buildings, drawing architecture and objects, and cataloging finds, but also negociating with local authorities who were often uncooperative. Still working at a time when the success of a venture such as the Samarra expedition was measured by its spectacular finds in both architecture and precious objects, the immense responsibility for bringing this expedition through the unexplored territories of Islamic archaeology to a successful conclusion presented an enormous physical and psychological challenge. In an effort that from the perspective of modern archaeology must be called Herculean, he excavated and examined nineteen sites [Great Mosque of al-Mutawakkil, Congregational Mosque of Madinat al-Mutawakkiliyya, Shiite Shrine Complex, Qubbat al-Ṣulaibiyya; palaces of Balkuwārā, Ṣūr ʿĪṣā, and the Qaṣr al-ʿĀshiq; the Cemetery at Shabbat al-Hawā; Mausoleum of Imām al-Dūr; Tall al-ʿAlīq; Ḥarba Bridge and finally the residential architecture at al-Quraina, al-Qāṭūn, al-Jubairiyya, and west of Ṣūr ʿĪṣā, and the baths] and collected a stupendous corpus of material, one that in many respects still forms the foundation for our knowledge of the city of Samarra and ʼAbbāsid art in the 3rd/9th centuries. What is astonishing is that Herzfeld himself considered his achievements during the first campaign in Samarra to be merely a dress rehearsal for the more ambitious second campaign which focused on the Dār al-Khilāfa." [Leisten, Thomas, 2003: "Excavation of Samarra, v. I. Architecture : Final report of the first campaign 1910-1912. Verlag Philipp von Zabern, Mainz am Rhein, 2003. Preface, p.IX."]
Arrangement:
135 units of original materials; numbered subseries, kept in the order in which they arrived, and housed in document boxes.
Biographical / Historical:
"Ernst Emil Herzfeld (1879-1948) was an orientalist whose many talents led him to explore all phases of Near Eastern culture, from the prehistoric period to Islamic times and from linguistics and religion to art and architecture." [Margaret Cool Root, 1976: "The Herzfeld Archive of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Metropolitan Museum Journal, Vol. 11, pp. 119-124."]
Local Numbers:
FSA A.06 07
General:
- Title is provided by Xavier Courouble, FSg Archives cataloger, based on Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive, Thomas Leisten's publication, "Excavation of Samarra, vol 1," and Alastair Northedge's publication, "An Interpretation of the Palace of the Caliph at Samarra (Dar Al-Khilafa or Jawsaq Al-Khaqani). In Ars Orientalis, Vol. 23."
Series title in Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive reads, "Records of Samarra Expeditions."
Date/Time and Place of an Event Note:
Field notes related primarly to the two campaigns of excavation at Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq), carried out by Ernst Herzfeld on behalf of the Kaiser Friedrich Museum in Berlin between the years 1911 and 1913.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
1 Item (Correspondence (9 leaves), 28.6 cm. x 22 cm)
Type:
Archival materials
Correspondence
Place:
Asia
Iraq
Mesopotamia
Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq)
Iraq -- Salah ad-Din -- Samarra
Scope and Contents:
Finding aid information reads, "A letter to Dr. Becker, Hamburg, March 15, 1913, describing revolutionary activities of Persians in Baghdad and Anglo-Russian activities in Persia with comments on the young Turks and the Persian Prince, Salar al-Dauleh."
Arrangement:
- Drawings are arranged roughly in sequential number sequences, housed in document boxes or in flat file folders by size, and stored in the map case drawers.
- S-31 is organized into 32 subdivisions which include one or several items of original materials.
Local Numbers:
S-31:d
FSA A.06 07.31.04
General:
- Title is provided by Xavier Courouble, FSg Archives cataloger, based on Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive.
- Series title in Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive reads, "Records of Samarra Expeditions."
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
1 Item (Correspondence (5 leaves), 27.7 cm. x 21.7 cm)
Type:
Archival materials
Correspondence
Place:
Asia
Iraq
Mesopotamia
Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq)
Iraq -- Salah ad-Din -- Samarra
Arrangement:
- Drawings are arranged roughly in sequential number sequences, housed in document boxes or in flat file folders by size, and stored in the map case drawers.
- S-31 is organized into 32 subdivisions which include one or several items of original materials.
Local Numbers:
S-31:e
FSA A.06 07.31.05
General:
- Title is provided by Xavier Courouble, FSg Archives cataloger, based on Herzfeld's publication, "Geschichte der Stadt Samarra. Hamburg, Eckardt & Messtorff; Buchhändlerischer Vertrieb durch D. Reimer, Andrews & Steiner, Berlin, 1948," and Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive.
- Series title in Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive reads, "Records of Samarra Expeditions."
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
1 Item (Correspondence (7 leaves), 25.5 cm. x 21.5 cm)
Type:
Archival materials
Correspondence
Place:
Asia
Iraq
Mesopotamia
Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq)
Iraq -- Salah ad-Din -- Samarra
Date:
1913
Arrangement:
- Drawings are arranged roughly in sequential number sequences, housed in document boxes or in flat file folders by size, and stored in the map case drawers.
- S-31 is organized into 32 subdivisions which include one or several items of original materials.
Local Numbers:
S-31
FSA A.06 07.31.09
General:
- Title is provided by Xavier Courouble, FSg Archives cataloger, based on Herzfeld's publication, "Geschichte der Stadt Samarra. Hamburg, Eckardt & Messtorff; Buchhändlerischer Vertrieb durch D. Reimer, Andrews & Steiner, Berlin, 1948," and Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive.
- Series title in Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive reads, "Records of Samarra Expeditions."
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
19 Leaves (Folder 1 and 2, 21 cm. x 28 cm. or smaller)
3 Letters (Folder 3 : correspondence : 7 letters ; 40 pages, 21 cm. x 32.7 cm. or smaller)
4 Items (photographic print Folder 4 : 1 photographic print, 29.5 cm. x 25.9 cm.)
5 Items (photographic print Folder 5 : 1 photographic print, 29.1 cm. x 26.4 cm.)
6 Items (photographic print Folder 6 : 1 photographic print, 30.3 cm. x 18 cm.)
Type:
Archival materials
Leaves
Letters
Notebooks
Correspondence
Photographic prints
Place:
Asia
Iran
Syria
Aleppo (Syria)
Naqsh-i Rustam (Iran)
Date:
1904-1946
Scope and Contents:
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 1 reads, "Blue pamphlet. "Composition of Ancient Persian Artifacts". Spectrographic metallographic analysis by Lucius Pitkin. Inc. N.Y., Objects probably from prehistoric finds at Nihavand or Harsin."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 2 reads, "Similar pamphlet from same firm, 1938: "Observations of the Nature of some ancient Persian iron" (dagger and bracelet). Folder also contains letter from "British Museum (1936) regarding analysis of glazes on two fragments from Nihavand; also a letter from the Chemical Laboratory of the Berlin Museum discussing an analysis of copper spear-heads and methods of drying-out clay tablets with cuneiform inscriptions found at Persepolis (1933)."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 3, letter 1 reads, "Letter to Dr. C.H. Becker (founder of the Journal of Islamic Studies, Der Islam, and subsequently Minister of Education for Prussia). From Tehran (Zarganda, German Summer Legation), July 22, 1923. Herzfeld gives summary of trip London-Baghdad and on to Tehran via Paikuli (see N-33, pp.1-89); comments on costs of caravan travel and notes still uncertain over permits for travel to Afghanistan and money for continuation of trip."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 3, letter 2 reads, "Letter to Dr. Becker from Tehran, Sept.30, 1923. Explanation of withdrawal of permission to go to Afghanistan (accused of being Bolshevik or British agent); Parsis offered money for trip and Herzfeld asked for 1000 pounds stlg.; mentions results of trip from Basra to Tehran in archaeological information and artifacts."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 3, letter 3 reads, "Letter from N.S.Nyberg, Cairo (Matarieh), April 10, 1924. Long letter on decipherment of certain Pahlavi words and about Avroman documents, which Herzfeld sent him better copies and photographs. Comments "Wenn es nun endlich über Iran zu tagen beginn, so ist das zum allergrőssten Teil Ihr Verdienst und Ihr unsterblicher Ruhm"."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 3, letter 4 reads, "Letter from Nyberg, Uppsala, Nov.18, 1926. Thanks Herzfeld for Reisebericht (ZDMG) and congratulates on new Pahlavi inscriptions (quotation in No. 3 is from this letter)."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 3, letter 5 reads, "Letter to Dr. Becker from German Legation, Tehran, March 30, 1928. Reviews significance of Kartīr inscriptions and prehistoric pottery from Persepolis. Writes of house, library and collections as foundation for German Institute in Persia and of lectures and teaching; arrival of Krefter for Pasargadae excavations and related difficulties in getting official permission; of abrogation of French archaeological monopoly, problems relating to it, and arrival of Godard as Director; and of his acute financial problems."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 3, letter 6 reads, "Letter to Excellenz Schmidt-Ott (Deutsche Notgemeinschaft, Berlin) from Basra-Karrachi, Feb.26, 1929. Thanks for funds for Sistan Expedition and describes trip with Reza Shah from Khurramabad to Ahwaz; and his own trip from Tehran enroute to Sistan."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 3, letter 7 reads, "Letter from Minister Becker, Berlin, Dec.30, 1929. Comments on financial difficulties in Germany and changes in Ministries and Faculties.."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 4 reads, "Large mounted print. Stolze photo. Naqsh-i Rustam, Sasanian combats."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 5 reads, "Large mounted print. Stolze photo. Naqsh-i Rajab, Shāpūr investiture."
- In Finding Aid, Joseph Upton's caption for N-126, folder 6 reads, "Large mounted print. Aleppo, Bab Antakiya."
Arrangement:
In the original arrangement of the Ernst Herzfeld Archive, Notebooks were included in a larger body of diverse material acknowledged by Ernst Herzfeld as his study collection. In the early 1970s, Joseph Upton, for research purpose, rearranged the collection and created a specific series (Ernst Herzfeld Papers, Series 3: Notebooks, 1904-1946, 1957, n.d.) for 131 notebooks, including four ledgers and eight travel journals. Upton has given this notebook an accession number, N-126, related to the series he created for the notebooks, probably following Herzfeld's original organization.
Local Numbers:
Ernst Herzfeld Papers; N-126
FSA A.6 03.126
General:
- Title is provided by Xavier Courouble, FSg Archives cataloger, based on Joseph Upton's Catalogue of the Herzfeld Archive.
Collection Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
