Department of Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies

Classical Studies Artifact Research Collection (CLARC)

A student looks at a stone vase with a magnifying glass, while sitting next to a drawer filled with more stone vases.

The Classical Artifacts Research Collection, or CLARC, is a collection of more than 800 artifacts from the ancient Mediterranean. The collection, which includes ceramics, coins, statuary, weapons and jewelry, is available to Brandeis undergraduate and graduate students as an invaluable research resource. The collection is overseen by Dr. Alexandra Ratzlaff of the Brandeis Classical Studies department. 

 

Internship Program

In 2006, Dr. Ann Olga Kolowsi-Ostrow established an internship program for Brandeis undergraduates to gain hands-on experience working with ancient artifacts. The internship typically culminates in the creation of curated display cases designed by the Fellows and exhibited in the Brandeis Library. 

Since the establishment of CLARC, students have designed and carried out innovative research projects to better understand objects in the collection. Through a dynamic partnership between CLARC and the Brandeis Makerlab, students are trained in object photography, photogrammetry and 3D scanning. 

Students who are interested in applying for a CLARC fellowship or carrying out an independent research project in the CLARC should contact Dr. Alexandra Ratzlaff.


The internship comprises a year-long class, as interns work with, research and document the ancient artifacts in CLARC. Terms of the program require that interns must be a classical studies major and that they be able to meet during the fall and spring semesters four hours each week for a total of 100 hours.

The course (92a/b) earns two credit units per semester. Each spring semester, competition for the three slots is fierce, with new interns announced at the end of April. Over the course of the next academic year, interns meet weekly at the CLARC center with classical studies archaeologist Alexandra Ratzlaff.

For more general information about internships, visit the Hiatt Career Center website. Professor Darlene Brooks Hedstrom, the Undergraduate Advising Head for Classical and Early Mediterranean Studies, is also available for consultation.

Selected Eunice M. Lebowitz Cohen Fellows may also be eligible to work in the center. Applications and complete information about the fellowship program are available on our Research Fellows page.