Giacomo Boni | |
|---|---|
 Giacomo Boni by theArch of Titus in Rome | |
| Born | (1859-04-25)25 April 1859 |
| Died | (1925-07-10)10 July 1925 |
| Alma mater | Accademia di Belle Arti |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Archaeology |
Giacomo Boni (25 April 1859 – 10 July 1925) was anItalianarchaeologist specializing inRoman architecture. He is most famous for his work in theRoman Forum.[1]
Born inVenice, Boni studiedarchitecture at theAccademia di Belle Arti in his native city and later moved to Rome. DuringWorld War I Boni participated as a soldier, and was elected senator in 1923, at which time he embracedfascism.
Boni died in Rome, and he is buried in theOrti Farnesiani on the Palatine Hill.
His early work as an architect involved him in the restoration of theDoge's Palace. During this time he demonstrated his technical skills.[2] In the 1880s, Boni metHoratio Brown, who became his colleague in a shared passion for antiquities.[3]
In 1888 Boni went to Rome, where in 1898 the Ministro della Pubblica Istruzione G. Baccelli named him director of excavations in theForum Romanum. Boni directed this important project from 1898 until his death in 1925. He was interested in thestratigraphy of the Forum, an important advance in the science of Romanarchaeology.
His excavations led to many important discoveries, including theIron Agenecropolis near theTemple of Antoninus and Faustina, theLapis Niger, theRegia,[4]Galleria Cesaree,Horrea Agrippiana, theTemple ofVesta,[5] and other monuments. In 1907 Boni also worked on the slope of thePalatine Hill where he discovered theMundus (tholos-cistern), a complex of tunnels leading to theCasa dei Grifi, the so-calledAula Isiaca, the so-calledBaths of Tiberius and the base of a hut under the peristyle of theDomus Flavia.
The excavations were interrupted by the outbreak ofWorld War I and resumed in 1916.
Boni developed a strong interest in theancient Roman religion and wished to see it revived and some of its rituals restored and adopted by the Italian state. When theNational Fascist Party came to power he viewed it as a chance for a pagan revival. He viewed fascism as connected to ancient Rome and agreed withBenito Mussolini's claim that fascism was a sort of continuation of theRoman Empire. Mussolini in turn supported Boni and appointed him as asenator. Boni's role in fascism would however not last long, as he died in 1925 and only lived through a few years of the fascist state. He was buried on thePalatine hill in an extraordinary ceremony organized by the regime. He is considered an early figure in what scholars later would label as "sacred fascism".[6]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Academics | |
| Artists | |
| People | |
| Other | |
