“Princeton’s Gift to Turkey”: Exploring the Political Matrix of the Orpheus Mosaic from Jerusalem and Late Ottoman Sardis

A high-profile American-Ottoman diplomatic alliance, rooted in the relationship between Princeton University and the Imperial Museum in Constantinople, facilitated the transfer of the Orpheus mosaic from Jerusalem to Sardis during the late Ottoman period. This study reveals how mutual partage diplomacy, underpinned by financial resources and technological capacity, transcended political jurisdictions and fostered a lasting collaboration between Osman Hamdi Bey and Howard Crosby Butler. By employing a multiscalar approach that integrates microlocal and macroimperial histories, the research sheds light on an often-overlooked aspect of late 19th- and early 20th-century archaeology in Anatolia, challenging narratives centered solely on conflict and Western imperialism.

Luke, C., & Çelik, S. (2023). “Princeton’s Gift to Turkey”: Exploring the Political Matrix of the Orpheus Mosaic from Jerusalem and Late Ottoman Sardis. Journal of Eastern Mediterranean Archaeology and Heritage Studies, 11(4), 419–437. https://doi.org/10.5325/jeasmedarcherstu.11.4.0419