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58-443: Roger Dodsworth (1585–1654) was an English antiquary . He was born at Newton Grange, Oswaldkirk , near Helmsley , Yorkshire , in the house of his maternal grandfather, Ralph Sandwith. He devoted himself early to antiquarian research, in which he was greatly assisted by the fact that his father, Matthew Dodsworth , was registrar of York Minster , and could give him access to the records preserved there. He married Holcroft Hesketh,

116-581: A charter from King George II in 1751. In 1780 King George III granted the society apartments in Somerset House , and in 1874 it moved into its present accommodation in Burlington House , Piccadilly. The society was governed by a council of twenty and a president who is ex officio a trustee of the British Museum . In addition, a number of local historical and archaeological societies have adopted

174-482: A degree of ridicule (see below ), and since the mid-19th century the term has tended to be used most commonly in negative or derogatory contexts. Nevertheless, many practising antiquaries continue to claim the title with pride. In recent years, in a scholarly environment in which interdisciplinarity is increasingly encouraged, many of the established antiquarian societies (see below ) have found new roles as facilitators for collaboration between specialists. "Antiquary"

232-542: A horse became spooked, galloped down a busy street, and kicked to death a dog sleeping there. Ouyang challenged his two associates to express this event in writing. One wrote: "A dog was lying in the thoroughfare and was kicked to death by a galloping horse," while the other wrote: "A horse galloped down a thoroughfare. A lying dog encountered it and was killed." Ouyang teased his junior colleagues, "A history book in your hands would remain incomplete after ten thousand volumes." When asked for his own rendering, Ouyang, replying with

290-500: A literary form are organised by topic, and any narrative is short and illustrative, in the form of anecdotes . Major antiquarian Latin writers with surviving works include Varro , Pliny the Elder , Aulus Gellius , and Macrobius . The Roman emperor Claudius published antiquarian works, none of which is extant. Some of Cicero 's treatises, particularly his work on divination , show strong antiquarian interests, but their primary purpose

348-458: A smile, wrote: "A galloping horse killed a dog in its path." His poems are generally relaxed, humorous and often self-deprecatory; he gave himself the title The Old Drunkard . He wrote both shi and cí . His shi are stripped down to the essentials emphasised in the early Tang period, eschewing the ornate style of the late Tang. He is best known, however, for his cí . In particular, his series of ten poems entitled West Lake Is Good set to

406-655: A writer were remarkably diverse. As a historian, he was put in charge by Emperor Renzong of Song of creating the New Book of Tang , which was completed in 1060 CE. He also wrote in his spare time the Historical Records of the Five Dynasties , the only book in the Twenty-Four Histories to have been written in private by a single author. As a poet, he was a noted writer of both the cí and shi genres. But it

464-407: Is an aficionado or student of antiquities or things of the past. More specifically, the term is used for those who study history with particular attention to ancient artefacts , archaeological and historic sites , or historic archives and manuscripts . The essence of antiquarianism is a focus on the empirical evidence of the past, and is perhaps best encapsulated in the motto adopted by

522-467: Is not breathed into it than it enjoyed originally. Facts, dates and names will never please the multitude, unless there is some style and manner to recommend them, and unless some novelty is struck out from their appearance. The best merit of the Society lies in their prints; for their volumes, no mortal will ever touch them but an antiquary. Their Saxon and Danish discoveries are not worth more than monuments of

580-547: Is one of the oldest known catalogues to systematically describe and classify ancient artefacts which were unearthed. Another catalogue was the Chong xiu Xuanhe bogutu ( 重修宣和博古圖 ) or "Revised Illustrated Catalogue of Xuanhe Profoundly Learned Antiquity" (compiled from 1111 to 1125), commissioned by Emperor Huizong of Song (r. 1100–1125), and also featured illustrations of some 840 vessels and rubbings. Interests in antiquarian studies of ancient inscriptions and artefacts waned after

638-467: Is the exploration of philosophical questions. Roman-era Greek writers also dealt with antiquarian material, such as Plutarch in his Roman Questions and the Deipnosophistae of Athenaeus . The aim of Latin antiquarian works is to collect a great number of possible explanations, with less emphasis on arriving at a truth than in compiling the evidence. The antiquarians are often used as sources by

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696-460: The jinshi degree exam in 1030 on his third attempt at the age of 22. After passing the jinshi exam, he was appointed to a judgeship in Luoyang , the old Tang dynasty eastern capital. While there, he found others with his interest in the writings of Han Yu . Politically, he was an early patron of the political reformer Wang Anshi , but later became one of his strongest opponents. At court, he

754-730: The " Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns " in England and France, the antiquaries were firmly on the side of the "Moderns". They increasingly argued that empirical primary evidence could be used to refine and challenge the received interpretations of history handed down from literary authorities. By the end of the 19th century, antiquarianism had diverged into a number of more specialised academic disciplines including archaeology , art history , numismatics , sigillography , philology , literary studies and diplomatics . Antiquaries had always attracted

812-534: The Hottentots ; and for Roman remains in Britain, they are upon a foot with what ideas we should get of Inigo Jones , if somebody was to publish views of huts and houses that our officers run up at Senegal and Goree . Bishop Lyttelton used to torment me with barrows and Roman camps, and I would as soon have attended to the turf graves in our churchyards. I have no curiosity to know how awkward and clumsy men have been in

870-517: The Qingli Reforms , a ten-point reform platform. Among other things, these included improved entrance examinations for government service, elimination of favouritism in government appointments, and increased salaries. They were able to implement some of these ideas in what was later called the Minor Reform of 1043, but the emperor rescinded their changes and Fan and his group fell from power. Ouyang

928-473: The Song dynasty (960–1279), the scholar Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072) analyzed alleged ancient artefacts bearing archaic inscriptions in bronze and stone , which he preserved in a collection of some 400 rubbings . Patricia Ebrey writes that Ouyang pioneered early ideas in epigraphy . The Kaogutu ( 考古圖 ) or "Illustrated Catalogue of Examined Antiquity" (preface dated 1092) compiled by Lü Dalin ( 呂大臨 ) (1046–1092)

986-528: The jinshi examinations, working on improving them in the process. In the early 1060s, he was one of the most powerful men in court, concurrently holding the positions of Assistant Chief Councillor, Hanlin Academician, Vice Commissioner of Military Affairs, and Vice Minister of Revenues. Around the time of the ascension of Emperor Shenzong of Song in 1067, Ouyang was charged with several crimes, including having sexual relations with his daughter-in-law. While

1044-408: The 18th-century antiquary Sir Richard Colt Hoare , "We speak from facts, not theory." The Oxford English Dictionary first cites " archaeologist " from 1824; this soon took over as the usual term for one major branch of antiquarian activity. "Archaeology", from 1607 onwards, initially meant what is now seen as " ancient history " generally, with the narrower modern sense first seen in 1837. Today

1102-418: The 20th century. C. R. Cheney , writing in 1956, observed that "[a]t the present day we have reached such a pass that the word 'antiquary' is not always held in high esteem, while 'antiquarianism' is almost a term of abuse". Arnaldo Momigliano in 1990 defined an antiquarian as "the type of man who is interested in historical facts without being interested in history". Professional historians still often use

1160-515: The Romans as the "systematic collections of all the relics of the past" faded. Antiquarianism's wider flowering is more generally associated with the Renaissance , and with the critical assessment and questioning of classical texts undertaken in that period by humanist scholars. Textual criticism soon broadened into an awareness of the supplementary perspectives on the past which could be offered by

1218-573: The Song dynasty, but were revived by early Qing dynasty (1644–1912) scholars such as Gu Yanwu (1613–1682) and Yan Ruoju (1636–1704). In ancient Rome , a strong sense of traditionalism motivated an interest in studying and recording the "monuments" of the past; the Augustan historian Livy uses the Latin monumenta in the sense of "antiquarian matters." Books on antiquarian topics covered such subjects as

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1276-510: The ancient historians, and many antiquarian writers are known only through these citations. Despite the importance of antiquarian writing in the literature of ancient Rome , some scholars view antiquarianism as emerging only in the Middle Ages . Medieval antiquarians sometimes made collections of inscriptions or records of monuments, but the Varro-inspired concept of antiquitates among

1334-549: The antiquaries' interests, was nonetheless emphatic in his insistence that the study of cultural relics should be selective and informed by taste and aesthetics . He deplored the more comprehensive and eclectic approach of the Society of Antiquaries, and their interest in the primitive past. In 1778 he wrote: The antiquaries will be as ridiculous as they used to be; and since it is impossible to infuse taste into them, they will be as dry and dull as their predecessors. One may revive what perished, but it will perish again, if more life

1392-524: The appreciation of associated art objects were integral to this Daoist-like transformation of intellectual life. The Ming dynasty writer Feng Menglong recorded a possibly apocryphal anecdote regarding Ouyang's writing style in his collection of short stories Gujin Tan'gai ( 古今譚概 ). As the story goes, during one of Ouyang's trips outside the Hanlin Academy with his associates, they witnessed an unusual event:

1450-530: The attention of other reform-minded people. Military threats from the Liao dynasty and Xi Xia in the north in 1040 caused Fan Zhongyan to come back into favor. Fan offered Ouyang a post as secretary, but Ouyang refused. Instead, in 1041 Ouyang obtained a position preparing a catalogue of the Imperial Library. 1043 was the high point in the first half of the eleventh century for reformers. Ouyang and Fan spurred

1508-1236: The better for being mouldy and worme-eaten"), in Jean-Siméon Chardin 's painting Le Singe Antiquaire ( c.  1726 ), in Sir Walter Scott 's novel The Antiquary (1816), in the caricatures of Thomas Rowlandson , and in many other places. The New Dictionary of the Terms Ancient and Modern of the Canting Crew of c.  1698 defines an antiquary as "A curious critic in old Coins, Stones and Inscriptions, in Worm-eaten Records and ancient Manuscripts, also one that affects and blindly dotes, on Relics, Ruins, old Customs Phrases and Fashions". In his "Epigrams", John Donne wrote of The Antiquary: "If in his study he hath so much care To hang all old strange things Let his wife beware." The word's resonances were close to those of modern terms for individuals with obsessive interests in technical minutiae, such as nerd , trainspotter or anorak . The connoisseur Horace Walpole , who shared many of

1566-591: The capital. He returned to the central government only in 1054, and gradually moved up the bureaucratic ladder again, until in 1060 he was made the assistant councilor of the state. He retired from politics in 1071, after vehemently (and unsuccessfully) opposing the New Policies of Wang Anshi , whose career he very much helped. He was born in Sichuan , where his father was a judge, though his family came from present-day Jishui (then known as Luling), Jiangxi . His family

1624-660: The characteristic of literary playfulness common to Northern Song poetry. For example, many poems have titles that indicate that they originated in rhyme games, and feature extensive rhyming schemes throughout. Below is one of the many poems Ouyang Xiu wrote about the famed West Lake in Hangzhou . Deep in Spring, the Rain's Passed (Picking Mulberries) 採桑子 春深雨過西湖好， 百卉爭妍， 蝶亂蜂喧， 晴日催花暖欲然。 蘭橈晝舸悠悠去， 疑是神仙。 返照波間， 水闊風高颺管絃。 He died in 1072 in present-day Fuyang, Anhui . His influence

1682-491: The charges had no credibility, the investigation alone damaged Ouyang's reputation. His request to retire was declined by the emperor, who sent him to magistrate positions in Shandong and Anhui . While a magistrate in Shandong , he opposed and refused to carry out reforms advocated by Wang Anshi , particularly a system of low-interest loans to farmers. He was finally permitted to retire in 1071. In his prose works, he followed

1740-564: The costumes or material culture of past eras, but who are perceived to lack much understanding of the cultural values and historical contexts of the periods in question. A College (or Society) of Antiquaries was founded in London in c.  1586 , to debate matters of antiquarian interest. Members included William Camden , Sir Robert Cotton , John Stow , William Lambarde , Richard Carew and others. This body existed until 1604, when it fell under suspicion of being political in its aims, and

1798-473: The dawn of arts or in their decay. In his essay "On the Uses and Abuses of History for Life" from his Untimely Meditations , philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche examines three forms of history . One of these is "antiquarian history", an objectivising historicism which forges little or no creative connection between past and present. Nietzsche's philosophy of history had a significant impact on critical history in

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1856-442: The evidential value for their researches of non-textual sources, including seals and church monuments . Many early modern antiquaries were also chorographers : that is to say, they recorded landscapes and monuments within regional or national descriptions. In England, some of the most important of these took the form of county histories . In the context of the 17th-century scientific revolution , and more specifically that of

1914-752: The example of Han Yu , promoting the Classical Prose Movement . While posted in Luoyang, Ouyang founded a group who made his “ancient prose” style a public cause. He is listed as one of the Eight Masters of the Tang and Song . Among his most famous prose works is the Zuiwengting Ji ( lit.   ' An Account of the Old Toper's Pavilion ' ). The Zuiweng Pavilion near Chuzhou is named in his honor whilst

1972-469: The historian were those of the philosophical and literary reinterpretation of received narratives. Jan Broadway defines an antiquary as "someone who studied the past on a thematic rather than a chronological basis". Francis Bacon in 1605 described readings of the past based on antiquities (which he defined as "Monuments, Names, Wordes, Proverbes, Traditions, Private Recordes, and Evidences, Fragments of stories, Passages of Bookes, that concerne not storie, and

2030-422: The like") as "unperfect Histories". Such distinctions began to be eroded in the second half of the 19th century as the school of empirical source-based history championed by Leopold von Ranke began to find widespread acceptance, and today's historians employ the full range of techniques pioneered by the early antiquaries. Rosemary Sweet suggests that 18th-century antiquaries ... probably had more in common with

2088-439: The origin of customs, religious rituals , and political institutions ; genealogy ; topography and landmarks; and etymology . Annals and histories might also include sections pertaining to these subjects, but annals are chronological in structure, and Roman histories , such as those of Livy and Tacitus , are both chronological and offer an overarching narrative and interpretation of events. By contrast, antiquarian works as

2146-419: The poem is a description of his pastoral lifestyle among the mountains, rivers and people of Chuzhou. The work is lyrical in its quality and acclaimed as one of the highest achievements of Chinese travel writing. Chinese commentators in the centuries immediately following the work's composition focused on the nature of the writing. Huang Zhen said that the essay is an example of "using writing to play around". It

2204-502: The professional historian of the twenty-first century, in terms of methodology, approach to sources and the struggle to reconcile erudition with style, than did the authors of the grand narratives of national history. In many European languages, the word antiquarian (or its equivalent) has shifted in modern times to refer to a person who either trades in or collects rare and ancient antiquarian books ; or who trades in or collects antique objects more generally. In English, however, although

2262-462: The study of coins , inscriptions and other archaeological remains, as well as documents from medieval periods. Antiquaries often formed collections of these and other objects; cabinet of curiosities is a general term for early collections, which often encompassed antiquities and more recent art, items of natural history, memorabilia and items from far-away lands. The importance placed on lineage in early modern Europe meant that antiquarianism

2320-414: The term "antiquarian" in a pejorative sense, to refer to historical studies which seem concerned only to place on record trivial or inconsequential facts, and which fail to consider the wider implications of these, or to formulate any kind of argument. The term is also sometimes applied to the activities of amateur historians such as historical reenactors , who may have a meticulous approach to reconstructing

2378-510: The term "antiquarian" is often used in a pejorative sense, to refer to an excessively narrow focus on factual historical trivia, to the exclusion of a sense of historical context or process. Few today would describe themselves as "antiquaries", but some institutions such as the Society of Antiquaries of London (founded in 1707) retain their historic names. The term "antiquarian bookseller" remains current for dealers in more expensive old books. During

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2436-575: The terms "antiquarian book" and "antiquarian bookseller" are widely used, the nouns "antiquarian" and "antiquary" very rarely carry this sense. An antiquarian is primarily a student of ancient books, documents, artefacts or monuments. Many antiquarians have also built up extensive personal collections in order to inform their studies, but a far greater number have not; and conversely many collectors of books or antiques would not regard themselves (or be regarded) as antiquarians. Antiquaries often appeared to possess an unwholesome interest in death, decay, and

2494-494: The tune Picking Mulberries helped to popularise the genre as a vehicle for serious poetry. Ouyang's poetry, especially the mature works of the 1050s, dealt with new themes that previous poets had avoided. These include interactions with friends, family life, food and beverages, antiques, and political themes. He also used an innovative style containing elements that he had learned from his prose writing. This includes his use of self-caricature and exaggeration. Ouyang's poetry bears

2552-539: The unfashionable, while their focus on obscure and arcane details meant that they seemed to lack an awareness both of the realities and practicalities of modern life, and of the wider currents of history. For all these reasons they frequently became objects of ridicule. The antiquary was satirised in John Earle 's Micro-cosmographie of 1628 ("Hee is one that hath that unnaturall disease to bee enamour'd of old age, and wrinkles, and loves all things (as Dutchmen doe Cheese)

2610-585: The widow of Laurence Rawsthorne of Hutton Grange, Penwortham , Lancashire where he subsequently resided until his death in August 1654. At various times in his life he was able to study the records in the library of Sir Robert Cotton , in Skipton Castle and in the Tower of London . He collected a vast store of materials for a history of Yorkshire , a Monasticon Anglicanum , and an English baronage. The second of these

2668-862: The word "antiquarian" in their titles. These have included the Cambridge Antiquarian Society , founded in 1840; the Lancashire and Cheshire Antiquarian Society , founded in 1883; the Clifton Antiquarian Club , founded in Bristol in 1884; the Orkney Antiquarian Society , founded in 1922; and the Plymouth Antiquarian Society , founded in Plymouth, Massachusetts in 1919. Ouyang Xiu Ouyang Xiu's interests as

2726-480: Was abolished by King James I . Papers read at their meetings are preserved in Cotton's collections , and were printed by Thomas Hearne in 1720 under the title A Collection of Curious Discourses , a second edition appearing in 1771. In 1707 a number of English antiquaries began to hold regular meetings for the discussion of their hobby and in 1717 the Society of Antiquaries was formally reconstituted, finally receiving

2784-487: Was agreed that the essay was about fengyue , the enjoyment of nature. During the Qing dynasty , however, commentators began to see past the playfulness of the piece to the thorough and sincere joy that the author found in the joy of others. Ouyang led the commission compiling the New Book of Tang , which completed its work in 1060. He wrote New History of the Five Dynasties on his own following his official service. The book

2842-816: Was aided in his study of early Yorkshire by Thomas Levett , a native of High Melton , Yorkshire and High Sheriff of Rutland , who came into possession of the Chartulary of St. John of Pontefract, a collection of early Yorkshire documents kept by monks at the Cluniac abbey . In 1626–27 Levett gave the documents to Dodsworth. How Levett came to possess them is unknown, but the Levetts had been prominent in Yorkshire for centuries, and had once controlled Roche Abbey . Antiquarian An antiquarian or antiquary (from Latin antiquarius  'pertaining to ancient times')

2900-579: Was both much loved and deeply resented at the same time. In 1034 he was appointed to be a collator of texts at the Imperial Academy in Kaifeng where he was associated with Fan Zhongyan , who was the prefect of Kaifeng. Fan was demoted, however, after criticizing the Chief Councillor and submitting reform proposals. Ouyang was later demoted as well for his defense of Fan, an action that brought him to

2958-541: Was demoted to service in the provinces. He returned briefly to court in 1049 but was forced to serve a two-year sabbatical during the mourning period for his mother, who died in 1052. Upon his return to government service, he was appointed to the Hanlin Academy , charged with heading the commission compiling the New Book of Tang (1060). He also served as Song ambassador to the Liao on annual visits and served as examiner of

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3016-403: Was his prose writings like Zuiwengting Ji that won him the greatest acclaim. Treatises from Ouyang's voluminous œuvre range from studies of flowers to literary criticism and political commentaries. Politically, Ouyang Xiu was one of the major proponents of the Qingli Reforms of the 1040s. When lead reformer Fan Zhongyan fell from power in 1045 CE, Ouyang was also demoted to posts away from

3074-591: Was not discovered until after his death. As a historian, he has been criticised as overly didactic, but he played an important role in establishing the use of epigraphy as a historiographic technique. Epigraphy, as well as the practice of calligraphy, figured in Ouyang's contributions to Confucian aesthetics . In his Record of the Eastern Study he states how literary minded gentlemen might utilize their leisure to nourish their mental state. The practice of calligraphy and

3132-464: Was often closely associated with genealogy , and a number of prominent antiquaries (including Robert Glover , William Camden , William Dugdale and Elias Ashmole ) held office as professional heralds . The development of genealogy as a " scientific " discipline (i.e. one that rejected unsubstantiated legends, and demanded high standards of proof for its claims) went hand-in-hand with the development of antiquarianism. Genealogical antiquaries recognised

3190-456: Was perceived to exist between the interests and activities of the antiquary and the historian . The antiquary was concerned with the relics of the past (whether documents , artefacts or monuments ), whereas the historian was concerned with the narrative of the past, and its political or moral lessons for the present. The skills of the antiquary tended to be those of the critical examination and interrogation of his sources, whereas those of

3248-658: Was published with considerable additions by Sir William Dugdale (2 vols., 1655 and 1661). The manuscripts were left to Thomas Fairfax, 3rd Lord Fairfax of Cameron , who by his will bequeathed them (160 volumes in all) to the Bodleian Library at Oxford . Portions have been printed by the Yorkshire Archaeological Society (Dodsworth's Yorkshire Notes , 1884) and the Chetham Society (copies of Lancashire inquisitions post mortem , 1875–1876). Dodsworth

3306-474: Was relatively poor, not coming from one of the old great lineages of Chinese society. Losing his father when he was three, his literate mother was responsible for much of his early education; her method is the origin of the chengyu 修母畫荻 ("a mother's admirable dedication to the education of her children"). He was unable to afford traditional tutoring and was largely self-taught. The writings of Han Yu were particularly influential in his development. He passed

3364-455: Was the usual term in English from the 16th to the mid-18th centuries to describe a person interested in antiquities (the word "antiquarian" being generally found only in an adjectival sense). From the second half of the 18th century, however, "antiquarian" began to be used more widely as a noun, and today both forms are equally acceptable. From the 16th to the 19th centuries, a clear distinction

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