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Research Archives library circa 1933

Archives

Archives

The ISAC Archives makes historical records, photographs, archaeological research, and ephemera of the Institute available for research

About the Archives

The ISAC archives is the official repository for documentation produced by the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures since its founding in 1919. The archives are a repository for historical documentation and photography relating to ISAC's expeditions, administrative history, museum, faculty, and staff. It is the mission of the archives to provide information about and research access to its archival collections. The primary holdings of the archives consist of the following:

  • Field records of ISAC's expeditions
  • Correspondence of the Institute's Directors and administrators
  • Papers of ISAC faculty and staff
  • Historical documentation pertaining to the Institute's history 
  • Photographic records, comprised of over 100,000 negatives, prints, and slides
  • Artwork and ephemera of the Institute and affiliated faculty and staff

Archives Projects

Person wearing a tie writing next to an open book

ISAC Oral History Project

Interviews with former ISAC faculty and staff about the Institute's history

View Interviews
Black and white postcard showing an aerial photograph of an architectural site

The Cultural Heritage Experiment

A lending collection of archival objects for students

Information on Lending
Black and white aerial photograph of Chicago House buildings on the Nile

ISAC's "Fifty-Cent Men" Exhibition

A satellite ISAC Museum exhibition at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business

View Exhibition

Featured Archival Items

History of the Archivists

Ruth Marcanti

Former Reference Secretary and Archivist, 1973–1976

Linda Kastan

Former Reference Secretary and Archivist, 1971–1973

Ursula Schneider

August 14, 1906 August 4, 1977

Chief Photographer, 1942–1973

More on the Archives