Historian, Dr. Carlo Ginzburg will give an account of two centuries of intellectual history focused on the twin concepts of “antiquarianism” and connoisseurship. In his first lecture the synergies between antiquarianism and connoisseurship are explored through the lens of the works of Petrus Camper (1722 -1789) and his contemporary Francois-Xavier de Burtin (1743-1818). During the second lecture Dr. Ginzburg will examine the development of the concept of antiquarianism and its relationship to the evolution of the discipline of history through an examination of the works of George Cuvier (1869-1832). In his final lecture, Dr. Ginzburg will attempt to answer the question: "was it possible to articulate the idea of descent of humans from big apes before Darwin?" Ultimately he views this as a futile exercise leading to the roots of contemporary racism.