ROME, JUNE 6th – The Swedish Institute of Classical Studies in Rome will soon host a lecture by Eline Verburg, a rising scholar in Etruscan studies from the University of Amsterdam, as part of its ongoing Salotto Etrusco seminar series. Her presentation, titled “Etruscans for All: the first Etruscan collections in 19th-century Northwestern European museums,” focuses on how Etruscan antiquities began to appear in museum collections beyond Italy during the 19th century.
In a time when interest in the Etruscans was once confined to Italy, the 18th and especially the 19th centuries marked a turning point. Etruscan artifacts began to appear in the holdings of public museums beyond the Alps, reflecting a growing fascination with this enigmatic ancient civilization. Verburg’s research explores why and how institutions such as the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, the British Museum in London, the Antikensammlung in Berlin, and the Louvre in Paris began to acquire Etruscan objects.
Through meticulous archival work in the records of these museums, Verburg investigates the cultural, political, and intellectual motivations behind these early acquisitions. Her work sheds light on the reception of the Etruscans outside Italy and on how museum practices helped shape popular and academic understandings of Etruscan identity during a period of intense national self-definition in Europe.
Eline VerburgEline Verburg, born in 1993, is a lecturer and PhD researcher at the Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archaeology at the University of Amsterdam. Her academic path includes an internship at the Museo dell’Agro Veientano and a master’s thesis on the history of the Tomba Campana in Veii. She later received the National Museum of Antiquities Stipend to study the Corazzi collection of Etruscan bronzes, which led to a well-received publication in BABESCH and earned her the Byvanck Award in 2022.
Currently completing her PhD dissertation titled “Etruscans for All,” Verburg focuses on the historiography of Etruscan collections and their significance in the wider context of European museum culture. Her talk in Rome will offer a preview of her conclusions, combining historical analysis with critical reflection on the formation of museum identities.
The Salotto Etrusco seminar series
Istituto Svedese di Studi ClassiciThe lecture will take place on Tuesday, 10 June 2025 at 18:00 at the Istituto Svedese di Studi Classici a Roma, located at Via Omero 14. Attendance is free and open to the public. Further details are available at www.isvroma.org or via email at eventi@isvroma.org.
The Salotto Etrusco seminar series is a long-running initiative aimed at promoting international research and scholarly exchange in the field of Etruscology. It regularly features contributions from both early-career and established researchers, creating a space for sharing new findings and perspectives on Etruscan culture and its legacy.
