From Classroom to Museum: curating Leiden's archaeological legacy in Galleria
For decades, a collection of ancient Mediterranean ceramics and artefacts served as a teaching resource for Archaeology students at the Leiden Faculty of Archaeology. Now, a selection of these objects has found a new audience at the National Museum of Antiquities in Leiden, where Assistant Professor Martina Revello Lami acted as guest curator for a section of the exhibition Galleria.
A shared history
The objects on display once formed part of the Faculty of Archaeology's teaching collection. Many were acquired through the efforts of the Byvanck family and generations of Dutch archaeologists and collectors, and were used by students to learn how to identify, document and interpret ancient ceramics.
‘I was actually one of the last people to use the collection in teaching seminars,’ says Revello Lami. ‘Given the history of the collection and its close ties to both Leiden University and the museum, transferring it to the National Museum of Antiquities felt more like giving it back than giving it away.’
The collection was formally transferred to the museum in 2023. Around the same time, a conversation with classical antiquities curator Suzan van de Velde, herself an alumna from the Faculty of Archaeology, led to the idea of creating a small exhibition about the collection. That plan eventually became part of Galleria, a large-scale exhibition bringing together multiple stories from the museum's collections.
Archaeological teaching
Rather than attempting to tell the entire history of a highly diverse collection spanning the Mediterranean, from Classical Greece to Cyprus and Southern Italy, the curators chose a more focused approach.
‘We needed an angle that could be understood within a limited space,’ Revello Lami explains. ‘The collection is incredibly varied, and its history is very complex. Instead, we decided to focus on how it has been used in archaeological teaching and on why ceramics are so important to archaeologists.’ This is the concept that underpins the exhibition “Learning from the Past”.
The first section of the display looks back at the history of archaeological education in Leiden. Visitors encounter objects that once served as study material, alongside historical documentation methods, storage boxes and packaging. Large projections of archaeological drawings highlight the central role that two-dimensional recording once played in archaeological research and teaching.
Three dimensions
One of the challenges addressed in the exhibition is how researchers continue to study artefacts when they no longer have physical access to them. Documentation, Revello Lami argues, becomes increasingly important in such situations.
‘Today we teach students to create digital records using 3D scanning. Thanks to collaborations with colleagues at the Leiden Learning and Innovation Centre, students have been able to work with advanced scanning equipment and create detailed digital models very quickly.’
The exhibition demonstrates how archaeological documentation has moved beyond drawings and photographs into three-dimensional recording. Visitors can observe how digital models are created, examine 3D-printed replicas and learn how new technologies are transforming archaeological practice.
A video installation features Revello Lami and two Leiden masters students – RMA Roos Molenkamp and MA Dimitris Pavlou - discussing the project and explaining how digital tools can make collections more accessible. Another digital component presents a virtual gallery developed by Dimitris Pavlou within his MA thesis project, offering alternative ways of telling the stories behind museum objects and their sometimes complex histories.
Collaboration
For Revello Lami, the project offered a rare opportunity to work with one of the Netherlands' largest museum institutions. ‘I had curated exhibitions before, but usually on a much smaller scale,’ she says. ‘What surprised me most was how calmly the museum team managed an enormous number of projects simultaneously while maintaining a clear and coherent vision.’
The experience differed significantly from previous exhibitions she had organised independently, where she was responsible for almost every aspect of the process. ‘In smaller exhibitions, you often do everything yourself, from writing texts to arranging objects in showcases. At the museum, I could rely on a team of specialists. It was fascinating to see how many different experts contribute to creating a successful exhibition.’
For Revello Lami, the result is more than a display of archaeological artefacts. It is also a reflection on how archaeology is taught, documented and communicated, linking generations of students with new technologies and new audiences. ‘What I enjoyed most was the opportunity to speak to a much broader audience than we normally do in the classroom. The exhibition offers a glimpse of the work we do as archaeologists, while showing how both the discipline and its teaching methods continue to evolve.’
From pencil to pixels
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