Elisabeth Ettlinger, ( Lachmann; 14 July 1915 – 21 March 2012) was a German-born archaeologist and academic, who specialised in archaeology of the

Roman provinces The Roman provinces (, pl. ) were the administrative regions of Ancient Rome outside Roman Italy that were controlled by the Romans under the Roman Republic and later the Roman Empire. Each province was ruled by a Roman appointed as gover ...

and Roman Switzerland.

Career

Ettlinger completed her doctorate in 1942 at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

, having immigrated to Switzerland in the 1930s to escape

Nazi Germany Nazi Germany, officially known as the German Reich and later the Greater German Reich, was the German Reich, German state between 1933 and 1945, when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party controlled the country, transforming it into a Totalit ...

: her thesis was published in 1949 as ''Die Keramik der Augster Thermen (Insula XVII). Ausgrabung 1937-38.'' From September 1963 to June 1964, she was a member of the

Institute for Advanced Study The Institute for Advanced Study (IAS) is an independent center for theoretical research and intellectual inquiry located in Princeton, New Jersey. It has served as the academic home of internationally preeminent scholars, including Albert Ein ...

in Princeton, New Jersey. From 1964 to 1980, Ettlinger taught at the

University of Bern The University of Bern (, , ) is a public university, public research university in the Switzerland, Swiss capital of Bern. It was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a br ...

. Her research centred on Roman ceramics such as

Terra Sigillata Terra sigillata is a term with at least three distinct meanings: as a description of medieval medicinal earth; in archaeology, as a general term for some of the fine red ancient Roman pottery with glossy surface Slip (ceramics), slips made ...

, and she co-founded ''Rei Cretariae Romanae Fautores'', a

learned society A learned society ( ; also scholarly, intellectual, or academic society) is an organization that exists to promote an academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and sciences. Membership may be open to al ...

dedicated to Roman pottery: she was its secretary, vice-president and then served as its president from 1971 to 1980. In 1972 she published ''Die römischen Fibeln in der Schweiz'', which "still acts as an essential reference book for the study of Roman brooches." Ettlinger also worked prolifically on

Vindonissa Vindonissa (from a Gaulish toponym in *''windo-'' "white") was a Roman legion camp, vicus and later a bishop's seat at modern Windisch, Switzerland. The remains of the camp are listed as a heritage site of national significance. The city of B ...

, the site of a Roman military camp, and served as president of the ''Gesellschaft Pro Vindonissa.'' Her archives are held at the University of Basel.

Honours

Ettlinger was elected to the

German Archaeological Institute The German Archaeological Institute (, ''DAI'') is a research institute in the field of archaeology (and other related fields). The DAI is a "federal agency" under the Federal Foreign Office, Federal Foreign Office of Germany. Status, tasks and ...

in 1968, and as a

corresponding member The corresponding member is one of the possible membership types in some organizations, especially in the learned societies and scientific academies. This title existed or exist in the Soviet Union, GDR, Polish People's Republic, Czechoslovak S ...

of the

Austrian Archaeological Institute Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

in 1975. On 27 November 1975, she was elected a

Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London The Society of Antiquaries of London (SAL) is a learned society of historians and archaeologists in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1707, received its royal charter in 1751 and is a Charitable organization, registered charity. It is based ...

(FSA).

Personal life

Ettlinger was born in 1915 in Breslau into a Jewish academic family: her parents were (1885–1916) and Hedwig Hopf (1893–1953); her maternal uncle was the mathematician

Heinz Hopf Heinz Hopf (19 November 1894 – 3 June 1971) was a German mathematician who worked on the fields of dynamical systems, topology and geometry. Early life and education Hopf was born in Gräbschen, German Empire (now , part of Wrocław, Poland) ...

(1894–1971). After her father's death, she and her mother moved to Berlin, and then in 1935 to Switzerland to escape

. In 1940, she married the Swiss microbiologist , with whom she had two sons.

Selected works

* Ettlinger, Elisabeth (1951). Legionary Pottery from Vindonissa. ''The Journal of Roman Studies'', ''41'', 105–111. https://doi.org/10.2307/298103 * Ettlinger, E., & Fellmann, R. (1955). Ein Sigillata-Depotfund aus dem Legionslager Vindonissa. ''Germania: Anzeiger der Römisch-Germanischen Kommission des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts'', ''33''(4), 364-373. * Ettlinger, Elisabeth (1972). ''Die römischen Fibeln in der Schweiz''. Bern: Francke * Ettlinger, Elisabeth (1977). Aspects of amphora-typology,-seen from the North. ''Publications de l'École Française de Rome'', ''32''(1), 9-16. * * *

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ettlinger, Elisabeth 1915 births 2012 deaths German archaeologists Swiss archaeologists German women archaeologists Swiss women archaeologists Academic staff of the University of Bern Emigrants from Nazi Germany to Switzerland Institute for Advanced Study visiting scholars Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of London German Archaeological Institute 20th-century German women