An analysis of the way in which antiquity was perceived during theWrst
stages of nationalism will be the focus of this chapter. The journey will take us
from the early French Revolution to Napoleon, then with him to Rome and
Egypt. During these years, the past was selectively chosen and appropriated
and was mainly appreciated as the source of civilization that had ultimately
led to the apogee of the French nation. It was a past which bestowed status. In
contrast to the Enlightenment period, the prestige conferred by antiquities
was eVective not only for members of the aristocracy, monarchy, and religious
establishment. Beginning in the era of the revolutions antiquities also
endowed the nation with dignity. In the case of France, antiquities and
works of art played a role in the formation and enactment of the newly
formed French nation, helped to create an image of progress linked to the
ancient civilizations, and to ratify French territorial claims.
Increase in the political potential of ancient objects and works of art
converted them into metaphors for power and legitimized their seizure.
This was partly justiWed as an act of rescue to prevent their destruction in
their original locations. Also, in Paris antiquities and works of art symbolized
France’s role as the home of freedom and civilization. Housed in museums
they served to educate the public, gave continuity to the civilization process,
educate the individual and assist the mercantile improvement of the national
crafts. Museums’ important role in education provided a key means for the
propagation of the idea of the nation. In museums archaeology and art based
in classical themes took precedence over all otherWelds as metaphors of the
new order. Thus one of the major creations of the French Revolution was the
Central Museum of Arts, the Louvre, in 1792 (McClelland 1994: 91–2). It
represented the largest collection of antiquities assembled to that point. The
example spread to other parts of Europe; in 1798 the historian Aloys Hirt
asked the Prussian king to make public his collections, as they expressed
world heritage and the whole of Prussia should beneWt from it. As he put it:
‘They are a heritage for the whole of mankind... Only by making them public
and uniting them in display can they become the object of true study; and
every result obtained from this is a new gain for the common good of
mankind’ (in Honour 1981: 87).
Parallel to the importance of antiquity in the search for the origins of the
nation, one of the key elements that connected nationalism with archaeology
was the construction of the modern state. This process, which started in the
early modern period, showed a notable increase in its pace during the era of
the revolutions, albeit this did not markedly aVect archaeology in the short
term. Decrease in the power or total abolition of the monarchy and the
nobility accelerated the process of bureaucratic state building. New govern-
ment oYces were created to administer a wider range of issues. EYciency and
The French Revolution 61