Antiquarian facts for kids
An antiquarian or antiquary (from the Latin: antiquarius, meaning related to ancient times) is a student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artifacts. This includes archaeological and historic sites, or historic archives and manuscripts. The essence of antiquarianism is a focus on the empirical evidence of the past. It may be better explained by the motto adopted by the 18th-century antiquary, Sir Richard Colt Hoare, "We speak from facts not theory".
Antiquarian societies
In the 18th century a new form of humanism emerged. Learned men and those interested in history formed new antiquarian societies. They were not associated with universities. They were formed by gentlemen of means and leisure, They had a growing interest in ancient Greece. A fortunate few, mainly Englishmen and Frenchmen, could visit these sites. A lucky few could even afford books illustrating these antiquities. Many early antiquarians were self-taught. These gentlemen scholars prepared papers on their findings and debated these in the society meetings. At times they disagreed with the new academic approach to history. By the end of the 19th century, antiquarianism had been replaced by a number of more specialized academic disciplines. These included archaeology, art history, numismatics, sigillography, philology, literary studies and diplomatics. Today the term is often used in a pejorative sense. It is used to refer to a very narrow focus on historical trivia instead of the actual history.
An antiquarian may also be someone who collect or study antiques.
Related pages
Images for kids
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Ole Worm's cabinet of curiosities, from Museum Wormianum, 1655
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"Antiquaries": portraits of 20 influential antiquaries and historians published in Crabb's Universal Historical Dictionary (1825). Featured are: Giraldus Cambrensis, John Leland, Guido Panciroli, John Stow, William Camden, Justus Lipsius, Joseph Justus Scaliger, Johannes Meursius, Hubert Goltzius, Henry Spelman, Charles Patin, Philipp Clüver, William Dugdale, Claudius Salmasius, Friedrich Spanheim, Johann Georg Graevius, Jakob Gronovius, Thomas Hearne, John Strype, and Elias Ashmole.
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William Camden (1551–1623), author of the Britannia, wearing the tabard and chain of office of Clarenceux King of Arms. Originally published in the 1695 edition of Britannia.
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Pit Mead Roman villa mosaic, illustrations by Catherine Downes, engraved by James Basire and presented to the SAL by Daines Barrington
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The Puzzle (1756): etching by John Bowles. In one variation on a recurrent joke, four antiquaries struggle to decipher what seems to be an ancient inscription, but which is in fact a crude memorial in English to Claud Coster, tripe-seller, and his wife. The print is ironically dedicated to "the Penetrating Genius's of Oxford, Cambridge, Eaton, Westminster, and the Learned Society of Antiquarians".
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Le Singe Antiquaire (c. 1726) by Jean-Siméon Chardin
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The entrance to the premises of the Society of Antiquaries of London, at Burlington House, Piccadilly.
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See also
In Spanish: Anticuario (estudioso) para niños
