Enlightenment period, classical history continued to provide models. How-
ever, the selection of the period from which these were taken clearly showed
how intellectuals and politicians were inXuenced by the political scene while
at the same time showed how they reinforced certain images with their
actions. During theWrst years of the French Revolution, Republican Rome
served as the prototype of a great nation of the past and examples were
derived from it. Plutarch’s narration of prominent Romans was widely read
and Republican France took inspiration from the two famous Brutuses—
Junius Brutus who in retaliation for the rape of Lucretia expelled the
Etruscan king Tarquin, and Marcus Brutus, who assassinated Julius Caesar
(Huet 1999: 53).
Napoleon’s rise to power did not stop the inXuence of the classical world.
On the contrary, it saw a new renaissance, although the selection of symbols
changed once again. During Napoleon’s reign Plutarch and the Brutuses were
substituted by Augustus, theWrst Roman Emperor, a symbol deemed more
acceptable in the new political scene. As was the case for most young people at
the time, classical studies had been a part of Napoleon’s upbringing, from his
school days through to military training and life (Cronin 1971: 22–3, 36, 41,
46–7). References to classical models made by him and his friends and
subordinates in informal conversations were not uncommon (ibid. 103–4,
137). It has been suggested that even some of his military tactics appear to
have mimicked those of Augustus, revealing Napoleon’s knowledge of Roman
history and its inXuence in Bonapartist ideology (Huet 1999: 55, but see
Jenkyns 1992: 32). The image of Imperial Rome was certainly a backdrop to
his civil policy. In a letter to his brother Louis in 1807, for instance, he wrote:
‘The Romans gave their laws to their allies: why cannot France have hers
adopted in Holland? It is also necessary that you adopt the French monetary
system...Having the same civil laws and coinage tightens the bonds of
nations’ (Esdaile 1995: 76). The Napoleonic Code, in force from 1810, and
even the sewers he ordered for Paris, were all based on Roman examples (Huet
1999: 57). Given such prestige it is not surprising that classical monuments
and statues continued to be used as metaphors for the new political land-
scape.
Theoretically the archaeology of the French Revolution was a direct heir to
that of the Enlightenment (Chapter 2). It was an auxiliary source for historical
studies, valid because it was useful (the concept ofutilitaswas again used in
this framework) because it informed history and served to illustrate its
development. Reading about Antiquity improved one’s morals, as it helped
to guide individuals towards civilization, assisted their education and fostered
in them a sense of good taste. Inscriptions, gems, and coins were considered
the most eVective antiquities to provide data about the past. Monuments
68 Early Archaeology of Great Civilizations