Ciriaco de' Pizzicolli

Cyriacus of Ancona (Latin Ciriacus Anconitanus, Italian Ciriaco de ' Pizzicolli; * 1391 in Ancona, † 1455 in Cremona ) was an Italian merchant and humanist. He is regarded as one of the founding fathers of modern classical archeology, and one of the first epigraphists. Cyriacus copied numerous ancient Greek and Latin inscriptions. Many ancient texts have survived only through him.

As a merchant, Cyriacus of Ancona visited 1412-1454 Adrian Opel, Opel Constantine, the Propontis, the North Aegean, Cyclades, Crete, Chios, Miletus, Lesbos, the Peloponnese and Epirus. He attended, among others, the Hagia Sophia, the Athenian Acropolis and the ruins of Delphi. Everywhere he made drawings and copies of inscriptions, to preserve the ancient artifacts from oblivion. He did not give his records during his lifetime out though.

Cyriacus identified as the first located at a monastery in central Albania as remnants of the ruins in the ancient city of Apollonia significant.

Cyriacus was immortalized by Fritz von Herzmanovsky Orlando in 1958 his posthumously published grotesquely fantastic novel masque of the genii.