Archaeology Magazine - December 1958 - 63

tiquities in the Berlin Museums, this
collection,which was carefully stored
in Moscow and Leningrad, has now
been returned to Berlin. From September 1 to September7 some of the most
important items of the group, such as
the Archaic seated goddess, the Berlin
Amazon, the mourning servants from
a tomb monument and the reliefs from
the Pergamm altar, were exhibited at
the Hermitage, in Leningrad, while
other pieces were shown in Moscow.
All these objects were carefully packed
and transported in more than two
hundred freight cars to Berlin, where
some of them were scheduled to be
temporarily on display in the Pergamm Museum, starting November 2.
The Pergamm frieze will ultimately
be reattached to the reconstruction of
the great altar of Zeus in the Pergamm Museum. It is expected that the
museum will be reopened on a permanent basis late in 1959.
Congress of Classical Archaeology
This Seventh International Congress
of Classical Archaeology, the first of
the series to be held after that in
Berlin in 1939, was initiated by the
International Association of Classical
Archaeology in Rome. It was held
under most distinguished auspices: the
President of the Organizing Committee was Professor Amedeo Maiuri, the
General Secretary, Professor Pietro
Romanelli. It was to the enlightened
efforts and the exceptional organizing
ability of these two scholars that the
remarkable successof this undertaking
was in large measure due.
The membership exceeded seven
hundred. First in Rome, September6-9,
and then in Naples, September 10-13,
formal communications, followed by
discussions, were held in the lecture
rooms of the respective universities.
The topics treated were distributed in
various sectionsand sub-sections,which
included not only the traditional
branchesof Greek and Roman archaeology but various peripheral areas to
the east and north, as well as the techniques of preservation and restoration
of monumentsand objects and, in particular, certain recent additionsto scientific methodology,aerial photography,
geophysicalprospectionand submarine
archaeology.
From Rome there was an excursion
to the recently restored Sanctuary of

Fortuna Primigenia at Praeneste, also
the possibilityof a visit to the excavations in progress at Santa Severa,
ancient Pyrgi. Excursions from Naples
included a day's visit to Pompeii,with
its new excavations,and Herculaneum;
an afternoon's trip to the Phlegraean
Fields, stopping at Cumae, Baiae,
where the vast area of therapeutic
establishment is now well cleared and
set in order, and the "Tempio di
Serapide" at Puteoli with its new
museum; also a day's excursion to
Paestum.
Upon the close of this memorable
Campanian and Lucanian experience,
the majority of the "congressisti"chose
to avail themselvesof the Sicilian excursion (September 15-22), which included a series of sites of outstanding
interest, most of them scenes of recent
investigations and discoveries- in particular Selinus, where "anastylosis" is
in progress, Gela, with the inauguration of the museum, the late Roman
villa at Piazza Armerina, and finally
Syracuse.The value of the visits to the
several sites was enhanced by the authoritative interpretation generously
presented by the respective excavators
and administrators.
Limitationsof space preclude a more
lengthy account of an event which will
long remain in the memories of those
privileged to participate in it as a
highly rewarding experience, full of
informative detail, and especially
valuable for the opportunity thus
afforded for direct personal contact between colleagues working in different
sectors of the vast and diversifiedfield
of Classical Archaeology. The picture
evoked in recollectionwill include the
perfect understanding between fellowworkers who came to the congressfrom
far and near, and the generous hospitality on the part of authorities and
individuals, worthily symbolizedby the
evening reception offered by the Ministry of Public Instruction at the completely rehabilitated Villa d'Este of
Tivoli, where the qualities of its superb
vegetation and infinity of splashing
fountains were fantastically revealed
or suggested by the recently installed
system of flood-lighting.All these experiences were set in a landscape of
momentous historical associations and
great natural charm, which appeared
to advantage in those golden days of
the early Italian autumn.
A. W. Van Buren

Gordon Childe Memorial Fund
The tragic death of Gordon Childe
in October 1957 was a loss to archaeology everywhere.ProfessorChilde had
a unique place in the development of
archaeologicalstudies. He ranged over
the whole field of man's past and not
the least of his achievementswas the
sense of the essentialunity in that past.
His contributionsto the fields of Near
Eastern, Mediterranean and European
prehistory have influencedscholars all
over the world.
Professor Childe's colleagues at the
Institute of Archaeology,University of
London, feeling that many people who
knew him would like to participate,
have undertaken to establish a memorial to him and are inviting contributions to a memorial fund. The purpose
of the fund is to augment and
strengthen contacts with students and
scholars of archaeology from other
countries, an aim which Professor
Childe always had very much at heart.
Up to the present it has not been decided whether a memorial lecture will
be establishedor a fund set up to provide grants in aid for foreign travel:
either proposal would certainly have
met with Professor Childe's approval.
The final decision will be communicated to subscribersto the fund. Donations should be sent as soon as possible
to: The Secretary, University of London Institute of Archaeology, 31-34
Gordon Sq., London W.C. 1, England.
Casper J. Kraemer
The sudden death on November 6th
of Casper J. Kraemer, Professor of Archaeology and Classics at New York
University, has removed one of the Institute's greatest assets. Professor Kraemer's extraordinary talent for popularizing archaeologywas used to the full
during recent years when, in addition
to his regular teaching duties, he presented a series of television programs
to an interested and growing audience.
For ten years a memberof our Editorial
Board, ProfessorKraemer had great influencein shapingthis magazine'spolicy.
His work as Chairman of the AIA's
Film Committeeis describedby him in
this very issue; what the article does not
describeis his devotion to the task, his
unquenchable enthusiasm and his fantastic energy. Those who have known
him as teacher, as friend or as co-worker
cannot but feel a deep sense of loss.
287

Archaeology Magazine - December 1958

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Archaeology Magazine - December 1958