Rodolfo Lanciani

Rodolfo Amedeo Lanciani ( born January 2, 1845 in Rome, † May 21, 1929 in Rome ) was an Italian classical archaeologist, engineer and topographer.

Rodolfo Lanciani came from an old noble, based Montecelli family and was the son of the engineer and the papal architect Pietro Lanciani. He first attended the Jesuit Collegio Romano, then he studied engineering at the then Pontifical University of Rome. After completing his studies, he participated in the excavations of the Trajan's port of Ostia Antica, which changed his life sustainable. In the Monumenti ed Annali Instituto di Corrispondenza Archaeological he published in 1867 a preliminary report on the excavations and devoted his scientific work force entirely to the study of ancient monuments, even if he succeeded his father held the post of a municipal engineer in Montecelli from 1868. In 1872 he became secretary of the newly founded local Roman authority of Archaeology, the Commissione Archaeologica Communale.

The marriage with the American translator Mary Ellen Rhodes in 1875 opened him access to a circle of U.S. archaeologists and many of his publications, he published in English. 1876 ​​Lanciani was deputy director of the Museum Kircherianum, two years later he became professor of Roman topography at the University of Rome in 1870 nationalized. He held until two years before his death the chair. From 1887 to 1890 he was also an engineer in charge of museums and excavations at the Ministero della General for Public Education, the Ministry of public instruction.

Lancianis important work appeared from 1893. It is a map of ancient Rome in 46 leaves, which appeared Forma Urbis Romae under the name. Notwithstanding major cards this time, which were published in the scale of 1:20 000, Lanciani chose the much more detailed scale 1:1 000 In order to facilitate the orientation, the modern road profiles of Rome, the squares and villas on the archaeological findings were indicated. To 1901 in the context of this map series were presented all archaeological findings of ancient Rome to the end of the 6th century. To date, Forma Urbis Romae Lancianis is second to none and an extremely important source for the topography of Rome, even if some of his interpretations are to be considered by recent findings obsolete.

As one of the few English-speaking Italian archaeologist of his time he worked in 1894 along with Austen Henry Layard Amateur, the 15th edition of the first published in 1843 Handbook of Rome and its Environs. In 1897 his most important book in English, The Ruins & Excavations of Ancient Rome. A Companion Book for Students and Travelers. Towards the end of the 19th century had Lanciani responsibility and primary supervision over all excavations on the territory of the city of Rome, but also introduced himself by numerous excavations, among which those of the House of the Vestal Virgins in the Roman Forum was the most important. At this time he formed with Thomas Ashby, Henry Jordan, and Samuel Ball Platner Huelsen Christian Roman a circle excellent connoisseur of the Forum and the Roman topography. From the Royal Institute of British Architects, he was awarded the 1900 Royal Gold Medal.

Lanciani opened up one of the first all the notes, drawings and instructions of the Renaissance artists and scholars, he presented to 1902-1912 in four volumes as Storia degli Scavi di Roma e le Notizie intorno all Collezioni novels of Antiquity and the all the discoveries that were made between the years 1000 and 1605 included. From his estate two more volumes plus an index volume on the discoveries 1605-1879 were published from 1994 to 2002.

As Giacomo Boni in 1909 retired from the Commission for the Zona Monumental in Rome, Lanciani came to his successors and prevented a public park was created at the site of the Baths of Caracalla. For his services he was appointed on June 3, 1911, Senator del Regno d' Italia. Lanciani was a member of the Accademia dei Lincei and the Accademia di San Luca. He received honorary doctorates from the Universities of Aberdeen, Würzburg, Oxford, Harvard and Glasgow.

After his first wife died in 1917, Lanciani married in 1920 the Princess Teresa Caracciolo Colonna, widow of the 15th Duca e Principe di Colonna, Marcantonio Colonna. On May 21, 1929 Lanciani, died on May 23, 1929 memorial service in the Italian Senate was held in the presence of Benito Mussolini. He was buried in the Campo di Verano.

Publications (selection )

  • Guida del Palatino. With plans by Alessandro Zangolini. Bocca, Rome 1873.
  • I commentari di Frontino sulle Acque e gli Acquedotti. Rome 1880.
  • Scavi di Ostia. Salviucci, Rome 1881.
  • Il Tempio di Apolline Palatino: il Tempio della Vittoria. Salviucci, Rome 1883.
  • Curia Hostilia iulia: Secretarium senatus. Rome 1883.
  • Ancient Rome in the Light of Recent Discoveries. Houghton, Mifflin, Boston ( NY), 1888. (Online at LacusCurtius ).
  • L' itinerario di ordine di Einsiedeln e l' Benedetto canonico. Accademia dei Lincei, Rome, 1891.
  • Luigi Salomone Ulrico Hoepli: Forma Urbis Romae. 8 volumes. Ulricum Hoepli, Milan from 1893 to 1901.
  • Pagan and Christian Rome. Macmillan, London, 1896 ( online at LacusCurtius ).
  • The Ruins and Excavations of Ancient Rome. A Companion Book for Students and Travelers. Houghton, Mifflin, Boston ( NY) / Macmillan, London 1897 (online at Internet Archive ).
  • The Destruction of Ancient Rome. A Sketch of the History of the monument. Houghton, Mifflin, Boston ( NY) 1899 (online at Internet Archive ).
  • New Tales of Old Rome. Macmillan, London, 1901 ( online at Internet Archive )
  • The Golden Days of the Renaissance in Rome, from the pontificate of Julius II to III did of Paul. A. Constable, London 1906 (online at Internet Archive ).
  • Wanderings in the Roman Campagna. Houghton, Mifflin, Boston ( NY) 1909 (online at Internet Archive ).
  • The Roman Forum. A Photographic Description of its monument. Frank & Co, Rome 1910 ( online at Questia ).
  • Wanderings through Ancient Roman Churches. Houghton, Mifflin, Boston ( NY), 1924.
  • Ancient and Modern Rome. Harrap, London, 1925.
  • Storia degli scavi di Roma e notizie le intorno collezioni romane di antichità. Volume 1, 1902 ( online); Volume 2: Gli anni di Clemente VII ultimi e il pontificato di Paolo III ( 1531-1549 ), 1903 (online); Volume 3: Dalla elezione di Giulio III alla morte di Pio IV (7 febbraio 1550-10 dicembre 1565), 1907 (online); Volume 4: Dalla elezione di Pio V alla morte di Clemente VIII ( 7 gennaio 1566-3 marzo 1605 ), 1912 (online).
  • Edited by Paolo Liverani, Maria Rosaria Russo: Storia degli scavi di Roma e notizie le intorno collezioni romane di antichità. Dalla elezione di Paolo alla morte di Innocenzo XII V: 16 maggio 1605-27 settembre 1700 Volume 5, 1994..
  • Edited by Paolo Liverani, Maria Rosaria Russo: Storia degli scavi di Roma e notizie le intorno collezioni romane di antichità. Dalla elezione di Clemente XI alla morte di Pio IX (23 novembre 1700-7 febbraio 1878). Volume 6, 2000.
  • Edited by Paolo Pellegrino: Storia degli scavi di Roma e notizie le intorno collezioni romane di antichità. Indici analitici. Volume 7, 2002.
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