Archeologia w Uniwersytecie Jagiellońskim – od Gabinetu Archeologicznego do Instytutu Archeologii

The Institute of Archaeology of the Jagiellonian University was established in 1971 through the merger of the Chair of Archaeology of Poland and the Chair of Mediterranean Archaeology. This administrative decision by the University authorities reflected the actual development of the academic staff, particularly those gathered around Professor Rudolf Jamka, head of the first of the former. The newly created Institute was also granted a new seat – the medieval building of Collegium Minus. The history of archaeology at the Jagiellonian University dates back to 1863, when antiquarian-archaeologist Józef Łepkowski obtained his habilitation and began lecturing on medieval archaeology. In 1866, the first Chair of Archaeology was founded, and in 1867, to support teaching, Łepkowski organized the Archaeological Cabinet, which included a collection of artefacts and a library. After Łepkowski’s death in 1894, classical archaeology also gained university status, when in 1897 Piotr Bieńkowski was appointed to the Chair left vacant after Łepkowski. Prehistoric and medieval archaeology disappeared from the University until 1905, when Włodzimierz Demetrykiewicz began lecturing on prehistory. It was his students who would play a key role in the development of Polish prehistoric archaeology, just as Bieńkowski’s students did in the field of classical archaeology. In the interwar and post-war periods, archaeology at the Jagiellonian University developed thanks to scholars such as S. Gąsiorowski, J. Żurowski, T. Sulimirski, and R. Jamka. In the 1960s, a remarkable research and publishing activity emerged among a group of young prehistorians (M. Gedl, J.K. Kozłowski, K. Godłowski) gathered around Rudolf Jamka, who, under his supervision, achieved academic maturity. The establishment of the Institute was the culmination of many years of effort and the dedication of numerous scholars. Its legacy consists not only of its scholarly achievements but also of training new generations of archaeologists and upholding the high status of university archaeology.