Archaeology on Shifting Ground

No serious study of ancient Roman topography and its monuments is undertaken without consulting the work of Rodolfo Lanciani (1845-1929), the archaeologist and scholar of ancient Rome. His Forma Urbis Romae, a large map published in sections between 1893 and 1901, captures all that was then known of the existence of the built world in the city. His multi-volumed Storia degli Scavi (1902-1913) is a formidable reference work, filled with notices of archaeological finds made in Rome from c. 1000 to 1870. Beginning in c. 1871, Lanciani provided innumerable articles and notes for two primary journals published by the Italian state and Rome's municipal government, respectively, Notizie degli Scavi and Bulletino della Commissione archeologica comunale di Roma, on artifacts or buildings being freshly unearthed in Rome. In addition, he wrote English-language books and articles, using the recent discoveries to educate an Anglo-American audience about ancient Roman culture.

Although his life has been fully examined by Domenico Palombi in 2006, a rigorous examination of Lanciani's formidable scholarly production has not yet been undertaken. This monograph will do this, positioning some of his fascinations, interpretations, and presentations of ancient Rome within a broad context of historical and cultural events in late 19th- / early 20th-century Rome. It scrutinizes Lanciani's published work with the following in mind: the subtle transformations in the practice of archaeology in Italy, the extreme destruction of ancient Rome during the construction of the modern capital, the variable oversight of the bureaucratic archaeological services in Rome, and the heated political discourse over the ownership and display of cultural patrimony in the new nation. In addition, it takes into account that Lanciani's publications significantly contributed and responded to the interests of a nexus of international scholars, archaeologists, collectors, and museum professionals, including those from the United States.