politics... Our age lacks nothing to rival the greatest days of Pericles, Leo X, Julius II
and Louis XVI; and our August Protector of the arts lacks nothing to merit, like these,
the name of greatness.
(in Springer 1987: 81–2).After the papal interlude, France again turned her eyes towards Rome,
annexing it as a department from 1809 to 1814 and making Rome the
second city of the empire. Archaeology was on the political agenda from
the beginning and the protection of antiquities was now promised. Excav-
ations in the Forum continued under the same supervisor that had been in
place under the Pope, the Italian antiquarian Carlo Fea (1753–1836). Napo-
leonWnanced architects and antiquarian–archaeologists to restore the an-
cient city (Gran-Aymerich 1998: 40). Several commissions were created to
organize and implement legislation regarding Roman archaeology, most
importantly the 1811 Commission des embellissements de la ville de Rome
(Commission for the improvement of the city of Rome), half of whose
budget was allotted to archaeological sites (Ridley 1992: 64). Under the
French, excavations were also promoted at Pompeii (Gran-Aymerich 1998:
41–2). In Rome, based on the papal edicts of 1802, 1809, and 1810, more
eVective legislation was drawn up prohibiting the export of antiquities,
regulating excavations, and protecting monuments. Creating a list of all
public ancient monuments important for ‘science or art’ was one of the
Wrst tasks undertaken under the new legislation. Its purpose was to describe
their present state, assess whether they needed repair, and estimate the costs.
A detailed plan of excavations and restorations was drawn up and under-
taken under the supervision of experts. The result was an impressive
growth in archaeological activity, which was not, however, without its
problems, especially regardingWnance, and, from a modern perspective,
method (Ridley 1992: chs. 3 and 4). Of the changes the French occupation
imposed on Rome, one of the most important was its deWnitive transform-
ation to a classical and archaeological town. This did not stop after Pius VII’s
return, as archaeology retained its position of importance. In 1816 the
Roman Academy of Archaeology was reopened, an act that Antonio Canova
(1757–1822), the Italian sculptor who helped the Pope recover most of his
seized property from the French and inspected the growth of museums,
celebrated as returning peaceful and productive research to Italy (Springer
1987: 88). Carlo Fea was given the title of Commissioner of Antiquities with
the remit of inspecting the ancient monuments and churches. Archaeology
was again used as an apology for power, as a claim to have restored a
legendary golden age, but now the aim was to negate the disintegration of
the old system.
72 Early Archaeology of Great Civilizations