Franklin President Curates Exhibition Of Archeological Artifacts

09/26/2006

Comprised of over 137 artifacts, the exhibition represents the largest collection of the site’s materials to be displayed outside of Italy.

One kilometer from an Italian town named Murlo, and twenty-four from Siena rests Poggio Civitate, a Tuscan hilltop that is also a rich archeological excavation site. Just four years after its discovery in 1966, Erik Nielsen, now President of Franklin College, visited the site for the first time as a graduate student. Since then, he has played a significant role in bringing Poggio Civitate’s treasures to light. In fact, he has served as Director of Excavations for more than twenty-five years.

This summer, with the help of many in Italy and Switzerland, Dr. Nielsen brought the Poggio Civitate to Lugano in an exhibit titled The Etruscan Princes of Murlo. Comprised of over 137 artifacts, the exhibition represents the largest collection of the site’s materials to be displayed outside of Italy. The Collection was on view at Lugano’s Galleria Gottardo from June 6 through August 26, 2006.

Curated by Dr. Nielsen, the exhibition is generously sponsored by Banca del Gottardo and made possible through the cooperation of those at the Sopraintendenza Archeologica of Tuscany, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage in Rome and the Poggio Civitate Museum of Antiquities in Murlo, Italy.

For a more in-depth look at the exhibition, the excavation site, The Poggio Civitate Museum of Antiquities, and Etruscan civilization and culture, see the upcoming issue of The Franklin Gazette, Winter 2006.

Return to News and Announcements