In Memoriam Antonia Arnoldus-Huijzendveld (1942-2018)
Photo: Marije van Helvoort-Arnoldus.
There is a big, dark hole in my life. Our sodalis Tonnie has left us. Struck by diseases, she died most unexpectedly.
Her roots lay in Amsterdam and, when speaking Dutch, the Amsterdam accent was always notable. Her great love became Italy and for many years she lived in Rocca di Papa.
I do not remember how and when we got into contact. It must have been about 20 years ago. We met in Leiden, but usually in Ostia. We phoned. We exchanged countless emails.
As scientist, geologist, geo-archaeologist, she was razor-sharp. All facts were checked, all articles were read. When she walked, she would bend forward a little bit and look at the soil, talking and commenting about scientific questions.
She had a small car. In front of the passenger seat was always a collection of rocks. She drove like an Italian, hitting the horn and cursing the other cars. In that car she took me and my two sons to many places near Ostia, Portus and Rocca di Papa. She drove the car through fields to see interesting excavation sites - the car bumping up and down and bushes scratching the sides. "Never mind", she would say. "It is the car of a geologist". Arriving at a new excavation site she was invariably greeted by the excavators, who loved her and appreciated her advice very much. Together we literally walked through the mud: fusion of geology and archaeology.
She and her team did deep drilling in the area around Portus, also at night next to the runways of Fiumicino airport, that partly lies on top of Portus (as her drillings have shown). One of her major discoveries, through drilling, was the localisation of the lighthouse of Portus - an improved copy of one of the Seven Wonders of the World. Our visit to that location is something that I will never forget.
Recently she lost an ex-partner and partner. Talking about this with her showed her warmth. Tonnie was very critical about catholicism, but also very spiritual. A very warm human being. Several years ago in Ostia I had a nasty inflammation on my hand. Tonnie said: "This can't go on. I will take you to the hospital in Lido di Ostia". There I had to wait four hours for treatment in an extremely hot waiting room. Tonnie stayed by my side for four hours.
There is a big, dark hole in my life. I hope that you, sodales, will be inspired by her excellence in geology, her strength, and her warmth. "Un abbraccio" is how she ended her emails ...
Jan Theo Bakker, Leiderdorp, 2-Jul-2018.
Photo: Tonino Menghi (2017).