HISTORY

The word “museum” derives from the Greek mouseion, a building sacred to the muses, goddesses of the arts and sciences, where the devout left offerings.

历史

“博物馆”这个词源自希腊语mouseion，一座供奉缪斯女神、艺术和科学女神，虔诚地留下祭品的神圣建筑。

Origins of Old World Museums. In Europe and Asia museums developed from private collections made by individuals or institutions. One of the earliest was the Museum of Alexandria, a research institute for scholars founded by Ptolemy I Soter in the 3d century B. C.  Continuing for seven centuries, it preserved such disparate objects as statues of thinkers, votive offerings, astronomical and surgical instruments, elephant tusks, and rare animal hides.

旧世界博物馆的起源。在欧洲和亚洲，博物馆由个人或机构建立的私人收藏发展而来。最早的博物馆之一是亚历山大博物馆，由托勒密一世·索特于公元前三世纪为学者建立的研究机构。它一直延续了七个世纪，保存了诸如思想家雕像、许愿祭品、天文学仪器和手术器械、象牙以及稀有动物兽皮之类的不同物品。

Further Considerations. While museums have greatly improved in dealing with their collections, some authorities believe they should pay more attention to the minds of their visitors. Museum workers should be more aware of learning processes in order to avoid confusing or boring visitors. A study by the Royal Ontario Museum urges that exhibits be evaluated from their inception instead of from their completion. In fact, evaluation should be based on precise criteria derived from controlled experiments. A well-planned and, therefore, self-explanatory exhibit, is preferable to guided tours by docents, which cannot be synchronized with the wandering eyes of spectators and hence may result in a fractured message. Finally, the emphasis on quantity—numbers of museums and visitors, frequency of change of exhibits, variety of museum services—should be balanced by a concern for quality and lasting values. See also ART GALLERIES and articles on individual museums.

进一步的考虑。虽然博物馆在处理它们的收藏方面已有了极大进步，但一些权威人士认为，它们应该更加关注其参观者的心意。为避免使参观者困惑和厌烦，博物馆工作人员应该更加了解学习过程。安大略皇家博物馆的一项研究呼吁，展品要从一开始就进行评估，而不到结束时才评估。实际上，评估应该根据源自对照实验的精确标准。因此，一个精心规划和不言自明的展品比由讲解员的导游更可取，因为它无法与观众漫游的眼睛同步，因此可能导致要旨的分散。最后，是对数量的强调—博物馆和参观者的数量、更换展品的频率、博物馆的各种服务—都应该通过对质量和持久价值的关注来平衡。

                                         ALMA S. WITTLIN

                                      Author of “The Museum:

                             Its History and Its Tasks in Education”

                                             阿尔玛 S. 维特林

                      “博物馆：它的历史和它在教育中的任务”作者

2024年9月29日译

（译者注：该词条部分位列《大美百科全书》1985年版，第19卷，第640页至642页）