When a country is at war or stuck in a political or economical crisis, not only are they defining for themselves a new course of history, but they may also be jeopardizing an old one. This raises some very important questions about archaeology and history in general. Essentially, why keep all this really old stuff? When should we destroy this old stuff to make way for new stuff? How much effort should we put into preserving the old stuff?
These questions have been the source of great controversy in the city of Rome. Building programs are hopeless in Rome. As soon as the ground is broken, you've entered into history. As soon as you enter into history, the painfully slow process of archaeology takes over. Slowly, they uncover priceless pieces of history. Maybe they discover an ancient crypt or temple. It could be over 5 years (if ever) before you get the chance to pour the concrete and start building. Take for example the excavation site of Largo Argentina which continues its excavations by tunneling underneath the surrounding roadways.
The reason that Rome is still packed full of buildings is because people were never really concerned about preserving history until the nineteenth century. After which, it became easier to simply refurbish your buildings than to take the risk of an archaeological take over by building new ones. The result is a beautiful old city whose apartments and shops have centuries of history in their walls.
Before this new-found archaeological interest in history, and especially in the middle ages, ancient ruins were great resources for construction material. The Colosseum has the odd, half-finished look to it today because families at the time were using the marble, brick and stone for their own villas and churches.
The Catholic Church was the first institution to begin preserving history by reclaiming old monuments as monuments for themselves. We can thank them for the great preservation of ancient buildings such as the Pantheon, the Colosseum and even the imperial steam baths of Diocletian. Strangely, this breath-taking basilica, originally used for hygiene and fitness, had been transformed into a building for worship.
We can also be thankful for the rich families of art appreciators, like the Machiavelli in Florence, who gathered art to show off in their own private collections (the first museums). Machiavelli's collections can still be seen in Florence today (read more about my Florence trip soon!).
An interesting example of the modern interest in the preservation of ancient history occurs in World War II when a bomb and shrapnel proof steel box was built around the Ara Pacis Augustae, a monument built to represent the peace that Augustus brought to Rome in 9 B.C..
Today, the focus is on Greece. As the economy struggles, their priorities are forced to change. The preservation of the past must give way to the promise of a decent future. Although unlikely, we can hope that a more capable power will recognize the significance of ancient art, and, maybe, they will be able to help protect it. After all, ancient Greek art has been regarded by geniuses like Leonardo and Michelangelo as some of the best artwork the world has ever seen.
(Greek original bronze statue of a seated boxer, currently in Rome)
The take-away should be this: there must be a compromise between preservation and pursuit. Greece has recognized this most recently, but this will also have to be recognized sooner or later by every other modern civilization.
