Special Collections

Elisa Lissi Caronna

1. GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Library  

Biblioteca di Archeologia Università degli Studi di Urbino 

1.2 Collection name  

Elisa Lissi Caronna

1.3 Biographical notes 

Elisa Lissi Caronna (Torino 1926-Roma 2020) graduated in Greek literature at the University of Turin with Angelo Taccone. She led many excavation campaigns both in Greece and Italy: in Rome, in Locri, in Syracuse, and finally, in the territory of Oppido Lucano (Potenza), where she conducted major reconnaissance and stratigraphic investigations, that later converged into a significant monograph on ancient Basilicata. During her career, she held important positions in public administration institutions: archaeological inspector for the Ministry of Public Education, Superintendent of Roman Antiquities, director of the National Roman Museum. Of great relevance was also her editorial activity: she was editor-in-chief of the main archaeological publications of the Accademia dei Lincei, of which she was a corresponding member. She was also vice president of the Pontifical Roman Academy of Archaeology and dean of the Directorate of the Magna Graecia Society. She authored numerous publications: she curated the edition of artifacts and excavations in various contexts in terms of chronology, provenance, and topographical location (Liguria, Lazio, Basilicata, Calabria, Sicily). She also examined important archaeological, historical, and artistic issues in works that were published in papers, contributions, and monographs.

1.4 Date and methods of acquisition

The Lissi Caronna collection was donated to the University of Urbino by her nephew, Luigi Caronna, after her passing in 2022.

1.5 Collection history

The collections shows the areas of Lissi Caronna's specific interests: archaeology, ancient history, investigations and discoveries in Oppido Lucano and Locri, and her activities at Scuola di Atene and Accademia dei Lincei.

1.6 Collection increase

No further material is expected to be added to the collection.

1.7 Collection accessibility  

The collection, catalogued and made available to the public, can be accessed online and on open shelves.


2. DESCRIPTION

2.1 Extent

The collection consists of around 1100 units. There are reference materials, monographs, dictionaries related to her studies and activities at Scuola di Atene and Accademia dei Lincei. As for the duplicate books, for those that were already in the university collections (unless they bear signs of the author's study), there is an indication in the Excel sheet created at the time of the donation.

2.2 Scope and content

Archaeology, Art History, Cultural Heritage

2.3 Description identifier, organization, and placement

The collection is divided into seven section marked with the following locations

- FLC.01 Archaeology, ancient art history, antiquities

- FLC.02 Central and Northern Italy

- FLC.02.01 Lazio and Rome

- FLC.03 Sicily e Magna Grecia

- FLC.03.01 Locri

- FLC.03.02 Oppido Lucano

- FLC.04 Greece and Near East

- FLC.05 Modern and contemporary art history

- FLC.06 Cultural heritage

- FLC.07 Dictionaries, lexicons, miscellaneous

2.3 State of conservation

Well preserved.


3. BIBLIOGRAPHY AND DOCUMENTATION

3.1 Bibliography and documentation

https://www.scuoladiatene.it/archivio-in-evidenza/in-memoriam-elisa-lissi-caronna.html

https://www.visitoppidolucano.it/concittadini-illustri/

3.2 Publications by Elisa Lissi Caronna

MONOGRAPHS

CURATORSHIP

CONTRIBUTIONS


REVIEWS

W. Vollgraff, W. van der Pluym, A. Roes, Le sanctuaire d’Apollon Pythéen à Argos (Paris, Vrin, 1956), in Archeologia Classica, XI, 1, 1959, pp. 128-129.

4. NOTES

The Lissi Caronna collection includes an interesting documentary archive, described and made accessible through the Sanzio Digital Heritag: https://sanzio.uniurb.it/handle/20.500.12731/45608

The publications and extracts from the Accademia dei Lincei testify the connections and relationships with prestigious Italian and foreign archaeologist.

PERMALINK TO THE CATALOGUE

Access the catalogue 

COMPLIER'S NAME

Gaetana Lo Presti