This sought-after publication is part of the Ashmolean Handbook series. The Arundel and Pomfret Marbles have fascinated the cognoscenti for generations. Michael Vickers tracks the eventful history of these works of classical antiquities before they came to rest in the University of Oxford.
A number of the marbles bear inscriptions from which historians have been able to confirm dates in Greek history. Statues (Cicero, dignitaries and Venuses,pieces of tombs (one remarkable ornament known as "The Tomb of Germanicus"), hieroglyphics and more are contained in this treasure trove. Among the many gems is a Metrological Relief that shows parts of the human body, outstretched arms, elbow to finger tips, foot, clenched fists and fingers and was used as a standard unit of measure.
The Arundel Collection included no fewer than 37 statues, 128 busts and 250 inscriptions, as well as a large number of sarcophagi, altars and fragments, all given to Oxford in 1667. In 1775, the Pomfret Marbles included 51 statues, 22 busts and heads and 39 reliefs. They eventually came to Oxford because of the arduous collecting of Thomas Howard, Earl of Arundel, in the early 17th century.
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