Getting in touch with ancient cultures
The awe-struck reactions Friday of a group of students huddled around ancient Roman jewelry, Mesopotamian clay tablets and Etruscan safety pins proved that some old objects can impress today’s teenagers even more than the latest gadget.
The 30 artifacts that were on display at Harvard-Westlake Middle School are part of a collection owned by the Los Angeles Unified School District, which is testing a pilot project to exhibit the fragile, valuable items at public and private schools and use them for lesson plans.
Part of the appeal is that, unlike at museums, students can get close to and even handle some of the items, such as a glass and terra cotta necklace from southern Italy dating to the 2nd or even 3rd century BC. It was in a clear plastic bag, but students were able to pick it up and study the intricate design.
“It’s all beautiful,” said seventh-grader Taleen Mahseredjian, 12. “I’m surprised they’ve been able to preserve these things for so long.”
Josh Lappen, 14, was struck by the design of a shallow, knob-handled bowl from the 4th century BC, which bore the painted likeness of a curly haired Greek woman in an elaborate headdress. But for him, it was the everyday objects -- pots, pans, jewelry -- that really brought the inhabitants from these long-ago times back to life.
“I don’t go to museums as much as I want to, so this is incredible, really cool,” said Josh, an eighth-grade Latin student.
The school district’s antiquities collection numbers more than 300 pieces, including ancient coins, vases, cuneiform tablets, clothing and other items. It was originally acquired by the Classical League of Downtown Los Angeles. In 1932, the collection was donated to Venice High School, where it was displayed in a campus museum.
When the school needed more space, the collection was stored for more than 11 years before being resurrected for the current exhibit, said curator Leslie Fischer.
Besides the antiquities, the district’s holdings include materials documenting its history, such as paintings, drawings, sculptures, books and maps. Some of those items are on display at the district’s downtown headquarters. And this month, a portable exhibit, “LAUSD: Legacy of Learning,” was launched for third- through eighth-graders.
L.A. Unified also may partner with the Getty Villa, which sees the potential to use the antiquities collection for its student programs, said Rainer Mack, the Getty’s manager of education.
“At our museum, we can provide students with what we think is an extraordinary experience, but they can’t touch items. So we’re interested in creating a hands-on-object experience,” said Mack, who visited the Harvard-Westlake exhibit.
Mack said he was impressed with many of the artifacts. “The collection was built by circumstance and a randomness, but in a way that makes it very interesting,” he said. “We don’t have some of this everyday kind of stuff, and some of the pottery is really fabulous.”
L.A. Unified’s collaboration with Harvard-Westlake began in October with Moss Pike, a Latin teacher who used the collection to develop lessons on writing systems, currency, iconography and Greek and Roman daily life, which was the subject of the items displayed Friday.
The students were enthralled with Pike’s stories connecting such artifacts as a strigil -- a bronze, Etruscan or Roman curved instrument -- with modern life.
“The Romans didn’t have soap like we use today, so when they went to the baths, they would cover themselves in oil and use the strigil to scrape off their bodies,” Pike said.
The students used previous exhibits for such projects as designing a vase and creating their own written language.
Latin student Gregg Myerson, 14, said he had gotten an A on his language project, which was based on simplifying the English alphabet. “It was a little bit like text talk,” Gregg said. “I used the language to write a peace treaty, basically we come in peace.”
For this exhibit, the students will be asked to make something related to Roman life, such as a tool or clothing, Pike said.
Latin student Evan Brown, 15, said the close-up view of ancient history provided a new frame of reference for her studies. “Daily life is so much a part of the language, so seeing these artifacts makes it easier to understand.”
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