Elisabeth Jastrow
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Elisabeth Jastrow (October 7, 1890 – September 1981) was a German-born American classical archaeologist. Her research focus included arulae (small
altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religion, religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, Church (building), churches, and other places of worship. They are use ...
s).


Early life and education

Elisabeth Anna Marie Jastrow (nickname, "Ebit" or "Ebith") was born October 7, 1890, in
Berlin Berlin ( ; ) is the Capital of Germany, capital and largest city of Germany, by both area and List of cities in Germany by population, population. With 3.7 million inhabitants, it has the List of cities in the European Union by population withi ...
. She came from a family of assimilated
German Jews The history of the Jews in Germany goes back at least to the year 321 CE, and continued through the Early Middle Ages (5th to 10th centuries CE) and High Middle Ages (c. 1000–1299 CE) when Jewish immigrants founded the Ashkenazi Jewish commu ...
. Her father was the historian and
social scientist Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among members within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the ...
,
Ignaz Jastrow Ignaz Jastrow (13 September 1856 in Nakel – 2 May 1937 in Berlin) was a German economist and historian. Biography He was educated at the universities of Breslau, Berlin, and Göttingen. He became a university docent at Berlin in 1885 and was ...
. Through her father, she grew up in a world full of scholars and artists, the sister Lotte Beate Jastrow Hahn later combined education and horticulture.Obermayer, Hans Peter: Elisabeth "Ebith" Jastrow. In: ''Derselbe: Deutsche Altertumswissenschaftler im amerikanischen Exil''. Eine Rekonstruktion. De Gruyter, Berlin, 2014, pp. 133–191. (in German) Early on, Jastrow became interested in the ancient world and in 1909, began studying classical
philology Philology () is the study of language in Oral tradition, oral and writing, written historical sources. It is the intersection of textual criticism, literary criticism, history, and linguistics with strong ties to etymology. Philology is also de ...
,
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of Artifact (archaeology), artifacts, architecture, biofact (archaeology), biofacts or ecofacts, ...
,
art history Art history is the study of Work of art, artistic works made throughout human history. Among other topics, it studies art’s formal qualities, its impact on societies and cultures, and how artistic styles have changed throughout history. Tradit ...
, and
philosophy Philosophy ('love of wisdom' in Ancient Greek) is a systematic study of general and fundamental questions concerning topics like existence, reason, knowledge, Value (ethics and social sciences), value, mind, and language. It is a rational an ...
at the
University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...
. Her most important teacher was
Georg Loeschcke Georg Loeschcke (28 June 1852 – 26 November 1915) was a German archaeologist born in Penig, Saxony. He studied archaeology under Johannes Overbeck at Leipzig, afterwards continuing his education at the University of Bonn, where he was a stu ...
, after whose death in 1915, she moved to the
Heidelberg University Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (; ), is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. Founded in 1386 on instruction of Pope Urban VI, Heidelberg is Germany's oldest unive ...
. There, Friedrich von Duhn became her doctoral supervisor. The title of the dissertation, from 1916, was ''Tonaltäre aus den westgriechischen Kolonien'' (Tonaltäre from the Western Greek colonies). At the time, she also joined a circle of archaeologists whose center was
Margarete Bieber Margarete Bieber (31 July 1879 – 25 February 1978) was a Jewish German-American art historian, classical archaeologist and professor. She became the second woman university professor in Germany in 1919 when she took a position at the Univ ...
. In addition,
Gerhart Rodenwaldt Gerhart is a surname and given name. Notable people with the name include: As a given name * Gerhart Baum (1932–2025), German lawyer and politician, Federal Minister of the Interior * Gerhart Eisler (1897–1968), German communist politician * G ...
, Valentin Müller,
Erwin Panofsky Erwin Panofsky (March 30, 1892 – March 14, 1968) was a German-Jewish art historian whose work represents a high point in the modern academic study of iconography, including his hugely influential ''Renaissance and Renascences in Western Art ...
,
Walther Amelung Walther Oskar Ernst Amelung (15 October 1865 – 12 September 1927) was a German classical archaeologist who was a native of Stettin. Amelung specialized in investigations of ancient Greek and Roman sculpture. Starting in 1884 he studied at the Un ...
, and Bernhard Schweitzer were among them.


Career

From 1916 to 1922, she worked at the archaeological seminar of the University of Heidelberg and at the
University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is one of the oldest institutions of higher education in the German-speaking world. It is named afte ...
. From 1922 to 1924, she worked for the German Archaeological Institute in
Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...
, from 1925 to 1929, in the
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
department. In
Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...
, she was involved in the creation of the catalog of the library. After returning to Berlin, she worked briefly for the headquarters of the German Archaeological Institute. After that, she worked until the beginning of 1933 at the
University of Marburg The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Prote ...
. From
Marburg Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...
, she was to move to
Bonn Bonn () is a federal city in the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, located on the banks of the Rhine. With a population exceeding 300,000, it lies about south-southeast of Cologne, in the southernmost part of the Rhine-Ruhr region. This ...
, where she was to create a catalog of the
vase A vase ( or ) is an open container. It can be made from a number of materials, such as ceramics, glass, non- rusting metals, such as aluminium, brass, bronze, or stainless steel. Even wood has been used to make vases, either by using tree specie ...
collection at the Academic Art Museum. Before she could begin her work in May, the ''Law for the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service'' ("Law on the Restoration of the Professional Civil Service") came into force, which prohibited opportunity for advancement to her in Germany. After being thus barred from all opportunities for scientific activity in Germany, she received a scholarship from the
American Association of University Women The American Association of University Women (AAUW), officially founded in 1881, is a non-profit organization that advances Justice, equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, and research. The organization has a nationwide Social net ...
for the year 1934/35, the A.A.U.W. International Fellowship. With it, she moved to Italy, and also traveled to Greece and the United States. During this time, she continued her studies in ancient
terracotta Terracotta, also known as terra cotta or terra-cotta (; ; ), is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic OED, "Terracotta""Terracotta" MFA Boston, "Cameo" database fired at relatively low temperatures. It is therefore a term used for earthenware obj ...
. At the end of the scholarship, she continued her studies with support from
Hetty Goldman Hetty Goldman (December 19, 1881 – May 4, 1972) was an American archaeologist. She was the first woman faculty member at the Institute for Advanced Study and one of the first female archaeologists to undertake excavations in Greece and the Middl ...
. After the death of her father in May 1937, she returned to Germany to settle the estate. After that, it became problematic for her to leave Germany at all. When she succeeded, she first went to Switzerland, and in October 1938, to the United States. Although Jastrow lacked the economic resources for a secure new beginning, she could rely on a broad network of connections. For example, her cousins
Marcus Marcus, Markus, Márkus or Mărcuș may refer to: * Marcus (name), a masculine given name * Marcus (praenomen), a Roman personal name Places * Marcus, a main belt asteroid, also known as (369088) Marcus 2008 GG44 * Mărcuş, a village in Dobârl ...
, and his sons,
Joseph Joseph is a common male name, derived from the Hebrew (). "Joseph" is used, along with " Josef", mostly in English, French and partially German languages. This spelling is also found as a variant in the languages of the modern-day Nordic count ...
and
Morris Morris may refer to: Places Australia * St Morris, South Australia, place in South Australia Canada * Morris Township, Ontario, now part of the municipality of Morris-Turnberry * Rural Municipality of Morris, Manitoba ** Morris, Man ...
, who were academics in the U.S. for some time. The circle also included her friend
Margarete Bieber Margarete Bieber (31 July 1879 – 25 February 1978) was a Jewish German-American art historian, classical archaeologist and professor. She became the second woman university professor in Germany in 1919 when she took a position at the Univ ...
as well as
Frank William Taussig Frank William Taussig (December 28, 1859 – November 11, 1940) was an American economist who is credited with creating the foundations of modern international trade, trade theory. Early life He was born on December 28, 1859, in St. Louis, Misso ...
, a friend of her father. First, she settled in the
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
area and took smaller positions as a German teacher, museum photographer, and seller of casts. Her sister, Lotte, and Lotte's two daughters, including
Cornelia Cornelia may refer to: People *Cornelia (name), a feminine given name *Cornelia (gens), a Roman family Places *425 Cornelia, the asteroid ''Cornelia'', a main-belt asteroid ;Italy *Cornelia (Rome Metro), an underground station on Rome Metro *Via ...
, also left Germany, first to England, before arriving in
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in 1939. From June 1939, Jastrow received recognition as an emigrant to the U.S. and a permanent residence permit, which allowed her to accept better work. She first became a leader and associate at the
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston The Museum of Fine Arts (often abbreviated as MFA Boston or MFA) is an art museum in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the list of largest art museums, 20th-largest art museum in the world, measured by public gallery area. It contains 8,161 painting ...
, for one year, and from 1941, she taught at the Department of Art of the Woman's College of the
University of North Carolina at Greensboro The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG or UNC Greensboro) is a public research university in Greensboro, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina, University of North Carolina system. It is accredited by the S ...
. Already in the fall of the year, she was promoted to the rank of Assistant Professor at the Department of Art. She taught there all periods of art history, which was not easy for her as an archaeologist. On the one hand, Jastrow was aware of her luck to have escaped from Germany, on the other hand, she suffered from the local situation, over the lack of contact with the German academic world, the bad library, to the lack of opportunities for their own research. Because of the poor pay, she tried to balance her schedule by teaching German and English courses. Whenever possible, she left the confines of Greensboro to do research in
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, Boston, and other places. Jastrow and her sister, Lotte, tried to rescue their mother from Germany, finally succeeding in October 1941. Anna Seligmann Jastrow lived with her daughter, Elisabeth, until Anna's death in August 1943. In December 1944, Jastrow became a
U.S. citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Consti ...
.


Later years and death

In 1961, Jastrow retired from the university. After that, she devoted herself more intensively to her archaeological studies. In 1970, she moved to a
retirement home A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home, old folks' home, or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – or rest home, is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Ty ...
in Greensboro where she died in September 1981. Her papers are held by the
Getty Research Institute The Getty Research Institute (GRI), located at the Getty Center in Los Angeles, California, is "dedicated to furthering knowledge and advancing understanding of the visual arts".
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.


References


Bibliography

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External links


Photo
''Asheville Citizen-Times'' (Asheville, North Carolina), 22 May 1963, page 18 {{DEFAULTSORT:Jastrow, Elisabeth 1890 births 1981 deaths Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Humboldt University of Berlin alumni Heidelberg University alumni Academic staff of Heidelberg University Academic staff of the University of Giessen University of North Carolina at Greensboro faculty Academic staff of the University of Marburg Classical archaeologists Archaeologists from Berlin German women scientists American art historians American women art historians German women archaeologists