Professor Kelsey at his desk
Francis Willey Kelsey (1858 - 1927) was a Professor of Latin language and literature at the University of Michigan. He was born in Ogden, New York in 1858, and after receiving his doctorate from the University of Rochester he moved to Ann Arbor where he taught from 1889 until his death in 1927. Aside from publishing a number of influential Latin translations and commentaries over the course of his long career, Kelsey was involved in many archaeological projects in his lifetime, including digs at Pompeii, in the Near East, and in Egypt.
Kelsey's last major archaeological undertaking was an expedition to the ancient city of Karanis, located in modern day Kom Aushim, Egypt. He was instrumental in choosing the site, overseeing the early work there, and securing funding for what was to become an ongoing and fruitful excavation for the University of Michigan. Kelsey's Kom Aushim dig provided the institution with an unprecedented number of important historical artifacts, and the University's Kelsey Museum of Archaeology was posthumously named in his honor.
Professor Kelsey kept meticulously detailed journals throughout his professional life, both in and out of the field. This exhibit features a collection of his journal entries and photographs covering the early years of the excavation at Kom Aushim, which began in 1924 and continued for eleven years, outlasting even the stalwart man who set it in motion. Unless otherwise noted, all materials are from the Francis Willey Kelsey Papers housed at the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library.
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Kelsey's last major archaeological undertaking was an expedition to the ancient city of Karanis, located in modern day Kom Aushim, Egypt. He was instrumental in choosing the site, overseeing the early work there, and securing funding for what was to become an ongoing and fruitful excavation for the University of Michigan. Kelsey's Kom Aushim dig provided the institution with an unprecedented number of important historical artifacts, and the University's Kelsey Museum of Archaeology was posthumously named in his honor.
Professor Kelsey kept meticulously detailed journals throughout his professional life, both in and out of the field. This exhibit features a collection of his journal entries and photographs covering the early years of the excavation at Kom Aushim, which began in 1924 and continued for eleven years, outlasting even the stalwart man who set it in motion. Unless otherwise noted, all materials are from the Francis Willey Kelsey Papers housed at the University of Michigan's Bentley Historical Library.
Clicking on any image will open a page with detailed information about the item in question.