Finding Aids

590 Pages·2015·1.26 MB·English

Ernst Herzfeld Papers
by Joseph M. Upton, Colleen Hennessey, and Xaiver Courouble
2011
This finding aid was generated automatically on June 3, 2015
Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
Washington, D.C., 20013
Phone: [phone]
[email protected]
http://www.asia.si.edu/research/archives.asp
Table of Contents
Collection Overview......................................................................................................... 1
Administrative Information .............................................................................................. 1
Biographical Note............................................................................................................. 2
Scope and Content Note................................................................................................. 3
Arrangement..................................................................................................................... 3
Names and Subject Terms ............................................................................................. 4
Bibliography...................................................................................................................... 5
Container Listing.............................................................................................................. 6
Series 1: Travel Journals, 1905–1928..................................................................... 6
Series 2: Sketchbooks, 1923–1931, undated......................................................... 27
Series 3: Notebooks, 1904–1946, 1957, undated.................................................. 95
Series 4: Photographic Files, 1903-1947............................................................. 130
Series 5: Drawings and Maps, 1903-1947........................................................... 500
Series 6: Paper Squeezes of Inscriptions, undated............................................. 551
Series 7: Records of Samarra Expeditions, 1906–1945...................................... 567
Ernst Herzfeld Papers
Collection Overview
Repository: Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives
Creator: Herzfeld, Ernst, 1879-1948
Title: Ernst Herzfeld Papers
Dates: 1903-1947
Quantity: 150 linear feet, circa 30,000 items
Abstract: An outstanding scholar in the field of Iranian studies, Ernst Herzfeld
(1879--948) explored all phases of Near Eastern culture from
the prehistoric period to Islamic times. This collection documents
Herzfeld's excavations at Samarra, Persepolis, Pasargadae,
and Aleppo and includes correspondence; field notebooks;
drawings; sketchbooks; inventories of objects; "squeeze" copies of
architectural details; and photographs.
Language: Collection is in English, Arabic, German, Hebrew, and Persian.
Administrative Information
Acquisition Information
Ernst Herzfeld donated his papers to the Freer Gallery of Art in 1946.
Provenance Information
It was his friend and colleague, Richard Ettinghausen, then curator of Near Eastern art at the
Freer Gallery of Art, who encouraged Ernst Herzfeld to donate his papers to the Smithsonian
Institution. Since the original gift in 1946, there have been a number of significant additions.
Herzfeld's sister, Charlotte Bradford, arranged for several donations to be made from the
estate in 1950 and 1951, and, at her request, papers left by Herzfeld in Cairo were given
to the Freer Gallery by Prof. Murad Kamil of Fuad I University in 1952. After extensive
investigation, Herzfeld's final edited manuscript of "The Persian Empire", thought to have been
lost, was discovered and given to the Freer Gallery in 1965 by the French Institute of Oriental
Archaeology in Cairo. An old friend, the numismatist George C. Miles, added substantially to
the papers in 1960 and 1970.
Other Finding Aids
http://www.asia.si.edu/archives/finding_aids/herzfeld.html
Available Formats
Microfiche available at the Freer Gallery of Art Library.
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Ernst Herzfeld Papers
Processing Information
The guide to the Ernst Herzfeld Papers was prepared by Joseph M. Upton in 1974. Partially
unprocessed. Processing completed by Colleen Hennessey and Xavier Courouble.
Preferred Citation
Ernst Herzfeld Papers. Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery Archives.
Smithsonian Institution, Washington D.C. Gift of Ernst Herzfeld, 1946
Restrictions on Access
Access is by appointment only, Monday through Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Please
contact the Archives to make an appointment: [email protected].
Ownership & Literary Rights
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository.
Biographical Note
The Ernst Herzfeld Papers document the career of Ernst Herzfeld (1879--948), a German architect,
archaeologist, and historian of Islamic and Pre-Islamic studies. After training as an architect he studied
archaeology under Delitzch from 1903 to 1906 at the excavations at Assur in Mesopotamia. A student of
Latin, Greek, Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Hebrew, Herzfeld received a doctorate in Humanistic Studies
at universities in Munich and Berlin in 1907. His work with Friedrich Sarre to survey the monuments of the
Tigris-Euphrates valleys resulted in landmark studies in architectural history, published in 1911 and 1920.
In 1920 Herzfeld was appointed to the chair of Historical Geography in Berlin and began his excavation at
Samarra. Herzfeld's work there led to a six-volume publication. He published widely throughout his life on
the sources of Islamic architecture and ornament, including the Royal Palace at Persepolis.
From 1934 until the end of his life Herzfeld spent his time producing many books and articles, lecturing,
and working at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton (1936--945.) Many of his works continue to
be published post-humously.
Date Event
1879 July 23 Born in Celle, Germany.
1897 Received diploma from Joachimsthaler Gymnasium, Berlin.
1897-circa 1898 Fulfilled military service.
circa 1899 Studied architecture at the Technical University and Assyriology, art
history, and philosophy at the Friedrich-Wilhems Universität in Berlin.
1903 Passed exam in structural engineering.
1903-1905 Assistant to Walter Andrae (1875-1956) in Assur.
1905-1906 Traveled throughout Iran and Iraq.
1907 Passed oral exam in February.
Excavation in Cilicia.
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Ernst Herzfeld Papers
Awarded doctorate in Humanistic Studies by Friedrich-Wilhems Universtät
zu Berlin. After receiving Ph.D. traveled extensively in Syria and Iraq with
Friedrich Sarre, director of the Islamic Museum in Berlin.
1910 Herzfeld and Sarre jointly publish, Iranische Felsreliefs (Berlin, 1910).
1911-1913 Field Director under direction of Sarre during expedition to Samarra.
circa 1914 Drafted into service in France and Poland during World War I. Sent to Iraq
where he functioned as a surveyor.
1916 Father died.
1917 Along with Friedrich Sarre and others, founded the German-Persian
Society to increase cultural and economic exchange between Germany
and Persia.
Appointed associate professor for Historical Geography and Art History of
the Ancient Orient at Berlin.
1920 Appointed world's first full professor of Near Eastern Archeology. Begins
excavation at Samarra.
1922 Mother died.
1923-1934 In Persia, where he completed many excavations and studies.
1928 Excavation at Pasargadae.
1931-1934 Appointed director of the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago
and moved to Persepolis.
1934 As grandson of Jews, Nazi legislation expelling state employees of
Jewish descent forced Herzfeld to retire as a professor employed by the
state.
Moved to London.
1936 Moved to Boston. Lectured on Iranian history and appointed a member of
the Princeton Institute for Advanced Study.
Delivered Lowell Lectures.
1944 Retired from Princeton University.
1948 January 20 Died.
Scope and Content Note
Papers (1899--962) of German born archaeologist Ernst Emil Herzfeld (1879--948), a preeminent scholar
of Near Eastern and Iranian studies. The collection measures 150 linear feet (circa 30,000 items) and
documents Herzfeld's work as a pioneer in the field and sheds light on his excavations at Samarra,
Persepolis, Pasargadae, and Aleppo. Formats include correspondence; field notebooks; drawings;
sketchbooks; inventories of objects; "squeeze" copies of architectural details; and photographs.
Arrangement
This collection is organized into seven series.
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Ernst Herzfeld Papers
• Series 1: Travel journals
• Series 2: Sketchbooks
• Series 3: Notebooks
• Series 4: Photographic files 1-42
• Series 5: Drawings and maps
• Series 6: Squeezes
• Series 7: Samarra Expedition
Names and Subject Terms
This collection is indexed in the online catalog of the Smithsonian Institution under the following
terms:
Subjects:
Abbasids
Aerial photography
Ancient Near Eastern Art
Antiquities
Architectural drawing
Art of the Islamic World
Ayyubids
Decoration and ornament
Description and travel
Excavations (Archaeology)
History
Inscriptions
Numismatics
Pottery
Religious buildings
Types of Materials:
Articles
Blueprints
Clippings
Correspondence
Diaries
Drawings
Journals (accounts)
Notebooks
Paper Squeezes
Photographs
Rubbings
Sketchbooks
Sketches
Names:
Anistas Mari, al-Karmili, ab, 1866-1947
Becker, Carl Heinrich, 1876-1933
Bell, Gertrude Lowthian, 1868-1926
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Ernst Herzfeld Papers
Berchem, Max van, 1863-1921
Herzfeld, Ernst, 1879-1948
Kaiser-Friedrich-Museum.
Krefter, Friedrich, 1898-1995
Meyer, Eduard, 1855-1930
Sarre, Friedrich Paul Theodor, 1865-1945
Verlag Philipp von Zabern.
Geographic Names:
Bakun, Tall-e (Iran)
Iran
Iraq
Lebanon
Mesopotamia
Pasargadae (Extinct city)
Persepolis (Iran)
Sāmarrāʼ (Iraq)
Syria
Taq-e Bostan Site (Iran)
Turkey
Preferred Titles:
Papyrus
Bibliography
Ann C. Gunter and Stefan R. Hauser, 2004: "Ernst Herzfeld and the development of Near Eastern
Studies, 1900-1950. Boston, Massasuchetts: Brill."
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Series 1: Travel Journals Ernst Herzfeld Papers
Container Listing
Series 1: Travel Journals, 1905–1928
The travel journals are in Herzfeld's handwriting in German. They have been transliterated into typed
versions of which each page is faced by a xerox copy of the original, showing sketches and inscriptions.
General note
It is impractical to include in the Index the name of every person or place mentioned in the Journals.
These were essentially short-hand notes intended to remind Herzfeld of facts to be incorporated in
subsequent finished studies. Many of the items, especially in N-81 and N-82, are topographical notes for
the preparation of maps. Herzfeld tended to note everything he saw and heard, so the Journals contain
descriptions of plant and animal life, as well as comments on the countless people he encountered, their
economic and their social activities. The Journals also contain descriptions of the practical daily problems
of travel, especially with a caravan; the dreams or nightmares he experienced on sleepless nights; and
a great variety of thoughts on politics, people or history which crossed his mind during the sometimes
tedious hours of travel. He even includes snatches of poetry.
The items entered in the Index are, therefore, primarily those of archaeological significance in the narrow
sense of ruins, buildings and artifacts, especially if Herzfeld inserted a sketch. He was accustomed on
these exploratory trips to supplement the Journals with comprehensive photographic record (see the
inventory to the photographic File) and sketchbooks (see the inventory to the sketchbooks).
The circumstances under which the Journals were written often led to inconsistencies in the spelling which
was sometimes again modified in printed texts. It might also be mentioned that there are differences in the
transliteration of Near Eastern script according to the French, German or English systems, not to speak
of the "personal" systems sometimes adopted by writers in the field. Since Herzfeld published in all three
languages, all three systems occur in the catalogues of the collection; but I am confident that that fact will
cause no particular hardship for scholars.
1.1: N-47: "Trip to Khurramābād and Ahwaz", 1928 October 25–November 19
Herzfeld traveled in Reza Shah's party for the inauguration of the new road and took advantage of
the opportunity to copy archaeological inscriptions, such as those at Pul-i Kalhur, and record a newly
discovered prehistoric grave and contents at Gilwerān.
Volume N-47, Page 3 Burūjird, 1928 October 26
Inscription of Masjid-i Jāmi', 1022 H.
Volume N-47, Page Rezā Shāh, 1928 October 28
17-19 Dinner at Khurramābād with gift of engraved silver map
Volume N-47, Page 23– Pul-i Kalhur (on Kalkān river by tunnel between Khurramābād and Dizful)
24 Sketch: Kufic inscription, 374 H.
Volume N-47, Page 25– Rezā Shāh, 1928 October 30
26 Opening of new road by Shah
Volume N-47, Page 30– Notes on bridge, 1928 October 30
33 Sketch: plan of area of bridge (p.30); construction (p.32); two identical
inscriptions (p.34)
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Series 1: Travel Journals Ernst Herzfeld Papers
Volume N-47, Page Pul-i Dukhtar (vicinity of Pul-i Kalhur), 1928 October 30
36 Comments on bridge. No inscription
Volume N-47, Page 40– Rezā Shāh, 1923 November 2–3
46 Mired in impassable roads. On foot and by launch to Ahwāz
Volume N-47, Page 57– Gilwerān (4--5 Klm. from Khurramābād on old road) , 1928 November 16
62 Notes on prehistoric grave. Sketch: elevation of grave (p.58); pottery and
bronzes (pp.58--2)

1.2: N-81: "Von Kalat Schergat nach Schiraz, 1905", 1905 September 4–November 19
Describes the trip by caravan from Schergat to Baghdad, thence to Qasr-i Shirin and from there to
Shushtar and Ahwaz. From Ahwaz via Behbehan to Schiraz.
Volume N-81, Page 1– Kal'at al-bint, 1905 September 2
4 Sketch: of wall and of groove construction
Volume N-81, Page 6– Kal'at al-Jebbār, 1905 September 2
7 Ruins of a city without castle such as Kal'at elbint. Sketch: location
Volume N-81, Page 7– Tell Dahab (between Tell al-Jebbar and Tekrit), 1905 September 2
8 Apparently old Assyrian ruins, also Arab graves. Sketch: topography (p.7);
bowl (p.8)
Volume N-81, Page 8– Tekrit, 1905 September 3
12 Tekrit al-'Atik, the old Arab city. Sketch: ruins (p.9); plan of old staircase
(p.10); plan of Naqib's house (p.11); location of old Tekrit (p.12)
Volume N-81, Page 12– Dūr, 1905 September 4
15 Description of Imām Dūr. Sketch: patterns of brick mosaic (p.13)
Volume N-81, Page Jelah (between Dūr and Eski Baghdad), 1905 September 5
15 Continuous ruinfield along er-Resās canal
Volume N-81, Page 15– Eski Baghdad (between Zendan and Qasr-i Shīrīn), 1905 September 4 
16 Arab city ruins. Praetorian camp. Sketch: outline plan of city (p.15)
Volume N-81, Page Ishnash (near Eski Baghdad), 1905 September 4
16 Ruins similar to those in Eski Baghdad
Volume N-81, Page 17– 'Ashiq (Samarra area), 1905 September 4–5
20 Castle. Sketch: front of bridge (p.17); elevation and plan of niches and
brickwork (p.19)
Volume N-81, Page 20– al-Khalīfe(Samarra), 1905 September 6
23 Important for architectural history. Sketch: elevation and plan of windows of
mosque (p.23)
Volume N-81, Page 25– Samarra, 1905 September 6
27
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Series 1: Travel Journals Ernst Herzfeld Papers
Description of shrines in city. Sketch: section of city walls (p.25); elevation of
golden dome of mosque and cupola of minaret (p.26)
Volume N-81, Page Ba'kūba, 1905 September 26 
29
Volume N-81, Page Khān abū Gissare, 1905 September 26
30 Comment on caravan traffic
Volume N-81, Page 30– Zendan (between Khān abu Gissare and Qasr-i Shīrīn), 1905 September 30
31 Sketch: plan of wall with round towers. Ruins of city
Volume N-81, Page Dulāb (near Zendan), 1905 September 10
32 Ruins of walls
Volume N-81, Page 1905 Sep 10 
32 Further Comments.
Volume N-81, Page 34– Khānisin, 1905 September 29
35 With comments on pilgrim traffic to shrines in Iraq (pp.55--6)
Volume N-81, Page 36– Qasr-i Shīrīn, 1905 September 30–October 1
38 Sketch: "laulam" blossom
Volume N-81, Page 37– Shaikhān Samsam el-mamālek Shīr Muhammad Khān. Head of the Kurds in
38 Qasr-i Shīrīn, 1905., 1905 September 30–October 1
and N-81, pp.45--6. 1905 October 6.
Volume N-81, Page Kel-i Dāūd (near Sarpūl), 1905 October 2 
39
Volume N-81, Page 39– Tāq-i Girra (Tāk i Geraw), 1905 October 2
40 Sketch: back wall of Taq and braided ornament (p.40)
Volume N-81, Page 39– Paitāq (Tāq-i Girra), 1905 October 2–4
41
Volume N-81, Page Sarpūl, 1905 October 3
41 Recorded 4 reliefs on N wall; reliefs on S wall. Sketch: map showing location
of reliefs (p.41)
Volume N-81, Page 41– 1905 October 4–6
49 On Customs administration
Volume N-81, Page 45– Shaikhān Samsam el-mamālek Shīr Muhammad Khān. Head of the Kurds in
46 Qasr-i Shīrīn, 1905, 1905 October 6
Volume N-81, Page 50– Gīlān, 1905 October 7–22
100 Gīlān to Duzdap via Tengaw-Gīlān
Volume N-81, Page 51– Āsmānābād (Smāwād), 1905 October 8
53 Trip from Gilan to Zarna. Sasanian and earlier ruins
Volume N-81, Page Kalab Kihil gazi (40 field wells), 1905 October 9
53 Peculiar system of raising water into wooden tubs for watering cattle
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