At the Mainz Institute for Ancient Studies, the Classical Archaeology Department showcases a distinguished collection of ancient originals, most notably painted Greek pottery from the 8th to 4th centuries BC, together with terracottas and bronzes. Visitors and students can also explore an impressive collection of plaster casts of antique sculptures. Both collections are located in the Humanities Library at Jakob-Welder-Weg 18 and can be viewed by the public upon request.
The origins of the collection go back to 1948, when Professor Roland Hampe, newly appointed at the time, acquired three private collections with special funding from the French administration. The cast collection, on the other hand, has an older, pre-university history. A significant portion of the collection originally came from the “Mainz Bürgerverein für Plastische Kunst”, established in 1871 and dissolved following World War II. The plaster cast collection has been continually expanded and enriched since the 1950s.
The objects in the original collection come almost exclusively from Greek sanctuaries and tombs. They provide diverse insights into everyday ancient life, religious beliefs, burial customs and forms of self-expression of the ancient elites. In addition to a respectable gallery of Roman imperial portraits, the cast collection offers visitors an extensive collection of prominent masterpieces of ancient sculptures from the most important antique museums worldwide.
Today, the collections play a central role in education, offering students valuable hands-on training. A key focus is on engaging the broader public through special exhibitions, guided tours, and dedicated offerings for special school programs. Furthermore, numerous objects serve repeatedly as subjects for diverse research projects undertaken by international colleagues. In addition, certain pieces have been included in prominent national and international exhibitions.
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From the Collection
Object of the Month May 2014
Sebastian Hess's Dactyliothecae
Object of the Month August 2013
The Flaying of Marsyas
Object of the Month May 2013
The Mainz Lekanis Lid
Publications On the Collections
- E. Oy-Marra–P. Schollmeyer, Das vergessene Mainzer Pantheon. Catalog brochure for the special exhibition at the “Schule des Sehens” (2015).
- P. Schollmeyer, Unter dem Schutz der Götter. Griechisches Leben im Spiegel der Kunst (2015).
- Id., Der Mainzer Verein für plastische Kunst und seine Abguss-Sammlung. Bürgerliche Kunstpatronage der Gründerzeit, in: Ch. Schreiter (ed.), Gipsabgüsse und antike Skulpturen. Präsentation und Kontext, Tagungsband Berlin 2011 (2012) pp. 319-331.
- Id., Die Sammlungen des Instituts für Klassische Archäologie der Johannes-Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, in: F. M. Müller (ed.), Archäologische Universitätsmuseen und –sammlungen im Spannungsfeld von Forschung, Lehre und Öffentlichkeit, Tagungsband Innsbruck 2010 (2013) pp. 417-428.
- Id., Archäologie für Schülerinnen und Schüler in den klassisch-archäologischen Sammlungen der Uni Mainz, in: Scrinium, (2) (2017) pp. 52-56.