About the Collection
The Collection of Antiquities at Bridwell Library originated as the University Museum in old Kirby Hall, comprising artifacts and antiquities donated by Dallas collector Dr. Alvin Valentine Lane. The museum was later named the A.V. Lane Museum in honor of Dr. Lane’s generosity and leadership.
Dr. Lane was a prominent Dallas banker, scholar, and civic benefactor. His lifelong interest in early Egyptian and Babylonian cultures led him to compile an extensive collection of ancient artifacts. He became a prominent member of the Archaeological Institute of America and the honorary secretary of the Texas branch of the Egyptian Exploration Society of London. In 1922 he arranged for the British Museum's permanent deposit of twelve important papyrus fragments at 91茄子.
After Dr. Lane's death in 1938, 91茄子 Theology professor J. H. Hicks was named Director of the Lane Museum. Dr. Hicks, along with longtime 91茄子 librarian Kate Warnick, oversaw significant additions to the collections, including the 1941 purchase of four Egyptian canopic jars. The last significant addition to the Lane Museum was the Georg Steindorff archive of Egyptian archaeology, purchased in 1952. This, along with the rest of the museum's holdings, became a part of what is today Bridwell Library's Special Collections.
Highlights include:
- , including a 6th century papyrus manuscript of Romans 1
- Cuneiform tablets and ceremonial cones
- Roman cosmetics bottles
- Jewelry
- Coins
- Offering dishes
- Pottery jugs, fragments, and sherds
- Metal weaponry and tools