Elizabeth Grayson Hartley, (née Blank, 1947 – 31 January 2018) was an American

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...

and

curator A curator (from la, cura, meaning "to take care") is a manager or overseer. When working with cultural organizations, a curator is typically a "collections curator" or an "exhibitions curator", and has multifaceted tasks dependent on the parti ...

. She spent most of her career as the Keeper of Archaeology at the

Yorkshire Museum The Yorkshire Museum is a museum in York, England. It was opened in 1830, and has five permanent collections, covering biology, geology, archaeology, numismatics and astronomy. History The museum was founded by the Yorkshire Philosophical Soci ...

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

Career

Hartley attended the

Kent Place School The Kent Place School is a girls independent college-preparatory day school (with a coeducational nursery and pre-kindergarten) serving students in preschool through twelfth grade in Summit, Union County, New Jersey, United States. Kent Place ...

(

Summit, New Jersey Summit is a city in Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The city is located on a ridge in northern- central New Jersey, within the Raritan Valley and Rahway Valley regions in the New York metropolitan area. At the 2010 United Sta ...

) and

Mount Holyoke College Mount Holyoke College is a private liberal arts women's college in South Hadley, Massachusetts. It is the oldest member of the historic Seven Sisters colleges, a group of elite historically women's colleges in the Northeastern United States. ...

(

South Hadley, Massachusetts South Hadley (, ) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. South Hadley is home to Mount Holyoke Colleg ...

). After graduating she studied at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

and the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. She was appointed the first Keeper of Archaeology at the

in 1971 and worked in this post until her retirement in 2007. The museum acquired some important objects during this time, including the

Coppergate Helmet The Coppergate Helmet (also known as the York Helmet) is an eighth-century Anglo-Saxon helmet found in York, England. It was discovered in May 1982 during excavations for the Jorvik Viking Centre at the bottom of a pit that is thought to have on ...

, and the

Middleham Jewel The Middleham Jewel is a late 15th-century gold pendant, set with a large blue sapphire stone. Each side of the lozenge-shaped pendant is engraved with a religious scene. It was discovered by a metal detectorist in 1985 near Middleham Castl ...

Peter Addyman Peter Vincent Addyman, (born 12 July 1939), known as P. V. Addyman, is a British archaeologist, who was Director of the York Archaeological Trust from 1972 to 2002. Addyman obtained a degree in archaeology at Cambridge University, after which h ...

described her as ‘ hemost determined, imaginative and devoted American expert – whose legacy to her adopted city will extend far into the future’.

Exhibitions

Hartley oversaw the development of several important exhibitions in the Yorkshire Museum. The 1976 exhibition "The Viking Kingdom of York" was seen by over 78,000 visitors. The Coppergate helmet was first put onto display in a permanent gallery space in 1980 following a £30,000 grant from the British Museum as part of the "International Viking Exhibition". A third successful Viking exhibition, "The Vikings in England" was opened by the

Prince of Wales Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...

on 30 March 1982 and was seen by over 235,000 visitors before it closed in October of the same year. This exhibition was awarded the

European Museum of the Year The European Museum of the Year Award (EMYA) is presented each year by the European Museum Forum ( EMF) under the auspices of the Council of Europe. The EMYA is considered the most important annual award in the European museum sector. History ...

Special Exhibition Award as a result of the presentation of the exhibition in the Museum and for additional educational projects organised by Hartley. In 2001 she developed an exhibition titled "Alcuin & Charlemagne: The Golden Age of York". The 2006 exhibition "Constantine the Great: York's Roman Emperor" was described as "the most important archaeological-historical loan exhibition to have been held in a provincial British museum". Hartley was "the driving force" behind the exhibition, which attracted over 58,000 visitors. Beyond the Yorkshire Museum, in 1978 Hartley developed an exhibition for the

Malton Museum Malton Museum is an archaeological museum based in Malton, North Yorkshire. History The museum first opened in 1935 in the Milton Rooms. By 1982 the collection had expanded and the museum relocated to the Old Town Hall, where it was run by vol ...

in advance of the museum moving premises from the Milton Rooms to the Old Town hall. She was elected a Fellow of the

Society of Antiquaries of London A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Societ ...

in November 1995, and was a trustee of the Malton Museum.

Personal life

Elizabeth G. Hartley (née Blank) was originally from

. She met her husband Brian Hartley, also an archaeologist, whilst working at the

British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docum ...

. They married in 1973 at St Columba's United Reformed Church, York.

Selected publications

* Hall, R. A. and Hartley, E. 1976. ''The Viking Kingdom of York''. York, Yorkshire Museum. * Hartley, E. 1985. ''Roman Life at the Yorkshire Museum''. York, Yorkshire Museum. * Hartley, E. 1985. ''Anglo-Saxon & Viking life at the Yorkshire Museum : gallery guide''. York, Yorkshire Museum * Wilson, P., Hartley, E., and Wacher, S. 2003. 'John Stewart Wacher BSc, MIFA, FSA: an archaeological bibliography', in Wilson, P. (ed) ''The archaeology of Roman towns: studies in honour of John S. Wacher''. Oxford, Oxbow. xvi. * Hartley, E., Hawkes, J., Henig, M., and Mee, F. (eds) 2006. ''Constantine the Great: York's Roman Emperor''. Lund Humphries * Hartley, E. No date. 'Roman Interiors'
Interim Report
. York,

York Archaeological Trust The York Archaeological Trust for Excavation and Research Limited (YAT) is an educational charity, established in 1972 in the city of York, England. It carries out archaeological investigations, fieldwork, excavation and research in York, Yo ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hartley, Elizabeth 1947 births 2018 deaths American classical scholars Women classical scholars People from Summit, New Jersey American archaeologists American women archaeologists Classical archaeologists Yorkshire Museum people Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London British women historians Members of the Yorkshire Philosophical Society Mount Holyoke College alumni 21st-century American women