Sackler Library
Encyclopedia
The Sackler Library holds a large portion of the classical
, art historical
, and archaeological
works belonging to the University of Oxford
, England
.
. The library is located at 1 St John Street
, to the rear of the Ashmolean. It was founded with a generous donation by the multi-millionaire Dr Mortimer Sackler
.
Designed by architects Robert Adam with Paul Hanvey of ADAM Architecture, it is a distinctive building, as the central block is circular. It is appropriate to its Classical
purpose, as one of the outer walls is decorated by a mock-Classical frieze; also, its creators say that the entrance is based upon the Doric
Temple of Apollo at Bassae
, first excavated by Charles Robert Cockerell
, the man who designed the Ashmolean Museum
.
, namely the Ashmolean library, the Classics Lending Library, the Eastern Art Library, and the History of Art Library. Major subject areas are:
The Heracles Papyrus
, a fragment of 3rd century Greek manuscript containing a poem about the Labours of Heracles
, is held by the library, along with over 100,000 fragments found at Oxyrhynchus
.
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
, art historical
Art history
Art history has historically been understood as the academic study of objects of art in their historical development and stylistic contexts, i.e. genre, design, format, and style...
, and archaeological
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
works belonging to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
History
The Library was completed in 2001 and opened on September 24 of that year, replacing the former library of the Ashmolean MuseumAshmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
. The library is located at 1 St John Street
St John Street, Oxford
St John Street is a street in central Oxford, England. The street mainly consists of stone-faced Georgian-style terraced houses. It was built as a speculative development by St John's College starting in the 1820s and finishing in the 1840s at the start of the Victorian era.At the northern end is...
, to the rear of the Ashmolean. It was founded with a generous donation by the multi-millionaire Dr Mortimer Sackler
Mortimer Sackler
Dr Mortimer David Sackler KBE was an American physician and entrepreneur. With his brothers Arthur M. Sackler and Raymond Sackler he used his fortune from the pharmaceutical industry to become a prominent philanthropist....
.
Designed by architects Robert Adam with Paul Hanvey of ADAM Architecture, it is a distinctive building, as the central block is circular. It is appropriate to its Classical
Classics
Classics is the branch of the Humanities comprising the languages, literature, philosophy, history, art, archaeology and other culture of the ancient Mediterranean world ; especially Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome during Classical Antiquity Classics (sometimes encompassing Classical Studies or...
purpose, as one of the outer walls is decorated by a mock-Classical frieze; also, its creators say that the entrance is based upon the Doric
Doric order
The Doric order was one of the three orders or organizational systems of ancient Greek or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic and the Corinthian.-History:...
Temple of Apollo at Bassae
Bassae
Bassae or Bassai, Vassai or Vasses , meaning "little vale in the rocks", is an archaeological site in the northeastern part of Messinia Prefecture that was a part of Arcadia in ancient times. Bassae lies near the village of Skliros, northeast of Figaleia, south of Andritsaina and west of Megalopolis...
, first excavated by Charles Robert Cockerell
Charles Robert Cockerell
Charles Robert Cockerell was an English architect, archaeologist, and writer.-Life:Charles Robert Cockerell was educated at Westminster School from 1802. From the age of sixteen, he trained in the architectural practice of his father, Samuel Pepys Cockerell...
, the man who designed the Ashmolean Museum
Ashmolean Museum
The Ashmolean Museum on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is the world's first university museum...
.
Collections
Its holdings incorporate the collections of four older librariesLibrary
In a traditional sense, a library is a large collection of books, and can refer to the place in which the collection is housed. Today, the term can refer to any collection, including digital sources, resources, and services...
, namely the Ashmolean library, the Classics Lending Library, the Eastern Art Library, and the History of Art Library. Major subject areas are:
- Western European Art since c. AD 1000
- History of ArtHistory of artThe History of art refers to visual art which may be defined as any activity or product made by humans in a visual form for aesthetical or communicative purposes, expressing ideas, emotions or, in general, a worldview...
- Classical and Byzantine art and archaeology
- PapyrologyPapyrologyPapyrology is the study of ancient literature, correspondence, legal archives, etc., as preserved in manuscripts written on papyrus, the most common form of writing material in the ancient civilizations of Egypt, Greece, and Rome...
and Greco-Roman Egypt - Near EastNear EastThe Near East is a geographical term that covers different countries for geographers, archeologists, and historians, on the one hand, and for political scientists, economists, and journalists, on the other...
ern archaeologyArchaeologyArchaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
and cuneiformCuneiformCuneiform can refer to:*Cuneiform script, an ancient writing system originating in Mesopotamia in the 4th millennium BC*Cuneiform , three bones in the human foot*Cuneiform Records, a music record label...
languages - EgyptologyEgyptologyEgyptology is the study of ancient Egyptian history, language, literature, religion, and art from the 5th millennium BC until the end of its native religious practices in the AD 4th century. A practitioner of the discipline is an “Egyptologist”...
and CopticCoptic languageCoptic or Coptic Egyptian is the current stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt until at least the 17th century. Egyptian began to be written using the Greek alphabet in the 1st century... - Ancient history
- EpigraphyEpigraphyEpigraphy Epigraphy Epigraphy (from the , literally "on-writing", is the study of inscriptions or epigraphs as writing; that is, the science of identifying the graphemes and of classifying their use as to cultural context and date, elucidating their meaning and assessing what conclusions can be...
- Classical languages and literature
- Prehistoric archaeology of Europe and North Africa
- Archaeology of Roman provinces
- Medieval European archaeology
- Theoretical and scientific archaeology
- NumismaticsNumismaticsNumismatics is the study or collection of currency, including coins, tokens, paper money, and related objects. While numismatists are often characterized as students or collectors of coins, the discipline also includes the broader study of money and other payment media used to resolve debts and the...
Heracles Papyrus
The Heracles Papyrus is a fragment of a 3rd century Greek manuscript of a poem about the Labors of Heracles. It contains three unframed colored line drawings of the first of the Labors, the killing of the Nemean Lion, set within the columns of cursive text. It was found at Oxyrhynchus The...
, a fragment of 3rd century Greek manuscript containing a poem about the Labours of Heracles
Heracles
Heracles ,born Alcaeus or Alcides , was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, foster son of Amphitryon and great-grandson of Perseus...
, is held by the library, along with over 100,000 fragments found at Oxyrhynchus
Oxyrhynchus
Oxyrhynchus is a city in Upper Egypt, located about 160 km south-southwest of Cairo, in the governorate of Al Minya. It is also an archaeological site, considered one of the most important ever discovered...
.