The very personal side of a world famous UC archaeologistCarl Blegen in a land rover on safari.
Carl Blegen with UC Archaeologist Marion Rawson in the Land Rover at Pylos, July 1961.
Researchers mine through a ‘treasure trove’ of resources in Cincinnati and Greece to reveal the character, patriotism and unconventional lifestyle of famed American archaeologist Carl William Blegen.
By Dawn Fuller
Photos Courtesy of UC Classics
From the 1930s to the 1960s, the discoveries of archaeologist Carl William Blegen made headlines around the world as well as here in the Queen City, where he was on the faculty at the University of Cincinnati. But the personal side of Blegen, publicly revealed for the first time, is the stuff that could be splashed across the celebrity tabloids.
Picture of book cover: “Carl W. Blegen: Personal and Archaeological Narratives”
The book, “Carl W. Blegen: Personal & Archaeological Narratives,” is the first biography of the researcher, a revelation of Blegen’s character and personal life that he closely guarded from cameras and reporters. In fact, personal letters, some described as pretty steamy, remained sealed until all involved parties were long deceased.
Published by Lockwood Press, the book is edited by Natalia Vogeikoff-Brogan, the Doreen Canaday Spitzer archivist at the American School of Classical Studies in Athens, Greece; Jack Davis, the Carl W. Blegen professor of Greek archaeology at the University of Cincinnati; and Vasiliki Florou, an independent researcher. Davis has contributed to Blegen’s earlier research, directing excavations in the area of the Palace of Nestor, and served as director of the American School of Classical Studies at Athens from 2007 until 2012.
Blegen’s discoveries at Troy in Turkey and the Palace of Nestor at Pylos in Greece remain two of the 20th century’s most significant archaeological discoveries in Greek prehistory. He led seven annual expeditions to Troy beginning in 1932 – the city made famous in “The Iliad,” Homer’s poem about the Trojan War.
In 1939, Blegen rediscovered the Bronze Age Palace of Nestor, one of the oldest kingdoms in Europe, at nearby Pylos. The palace was the center of the Mycenaean Kingdom. Until Blegen’s discovery, the palace was remembered only through ancient lore for 3,000 years. Blegen’s excavations at the palace in the 1950s and '60s uncovered more than 1,000 now-famous clay tablets containing the oldest records discovered in Europe at that time.
Born in 1887 and educated at the University of Minnesota and Yale, Blegen joined the University of Cincinnati in 1927 as professor of classical archaeology.
Blegen’s portrait is prominently featured in the lobby of UC’s Blegen Library, which was named after him in 1983. His dark hair is tousled, a pipe is clenched in his closed mouth, and he holds an unwavering gaze at the camera. Only one hand – his right hand – is gloved, which highlights a little-known fact that is revealed in the book. Growing up in Minnesota, the son of strict Lutheran missionaries who were Norwegian immigrants, Blegen lost part of his right arm in a hunting accident when he was 15 years old. The glove covered up the damage.
A photo portrait of University of Cincinnati archaeologist Carl Blegen.
“He had to teach himself to write with his left hand, so his handwriting was pretty awful,” says Davis.
The book also details the complex relationships and living arrangement between Blegen, his wife, archaeologist Elizabeth Pierce Blegen, his best friend and former director of the American School, Bert Hodge Hill, and Hill’s wife, accomplished archaeologist Ida Thallon. Thallon was a mentor, longtime companion and lover of Elizabeth Pierce during their time at Vassar and before her marriage to Blegen.
The relationships involving male-female couples blossomed in Athens while all four researchers eventually came to the American School of Classical Studies. Davis says long, passionate letters reveal when Blegen fell deeply in love with Elizabeth Pierce. He convinced his friend to marry Pierce’s female companion. Letters also detailed a type of contract on how the intimate relationships would continue after the couples were married and living under the same roof, including spelling out that the women would “have private time together,” as detailed in the book.