Note. The Museum of the Roman Empire in RomeAuthor(s): Thomas AshbySource: The Journal of Roman Studies, Vol. 16 (1926), pp. 282-283Published by: Society for the Promotion of Roman StudiesStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/295735 .

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NOTE.

THE MUSEUM OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE IN ROME.

Visitors to the exhibition illustrative of the provinces of the Roman Empire at the Baths of Diocletian, which, with a number of other exhibitions of considerable artistic interest and historical import- ance, was held in Rome in I9II, as well as readers of Mrs. Arthur Strong's article on the subject, in the first number of the Journal, will have realised that Roman Britain was most inadequately represented. At the time at which the organisation of the British section was in progress, there was, as she rightly observes, no responsible body to appeal to for help in bringing together a repre- sentative collection of casts, models and photographs of Romano- British monuments; nor has a central Romano-British museum, on the lines of Saint-Germain and Mainz, been founded even yet. It is true that, if our Society had been in full working order a year sooner than it was (for Professor Haverfield, the first president, only delivered his inaugural address after the exhibition had already been opened), it would have been possible to send a far better exhibit; and this was shown by the fact that a year later the Society was able to prepare a very interesting representative collection of, casts of sculptures and architectural decorations of the Roman period in Britain, and to put the series on sale under such conditions as to make the scheme financially self supporting.1

Meanwhile, it had always been the hope of the organisers af the exhibition that it might become the nucleus of a permanent museum of the Roman Empire, a wish indeed expressed by Professor Lanciani in his speech at the opening of the exhibition. But by the autumn of I9II Italy was already at war with Turkey; the Great War followed shortly afterwards; and it is only now that Prof. Giglioli, who was the constant helper of Prof. Lanciani and the compiler both of the exhibition catalogue and of that of the present edition, has been able to obtain for use as a museum the former convent of St. Ambrogio, close to the Piazza Mattei and the well-known fountain of the tortoises. It contains nearly 30 rooms which are well lighted and spacious enough to permit of the arrange- ment of the collections in their present state, and there is also provision for the custody and consultation of such plans and photographs as cannot be kept permanently on view.

1 See J.R.S., ii (I912), 121 sqq. for the description of them by Prof. Haverfield and Prof. Stuart Jones.

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Under the circumstances, I cannot help feeling that it is eminently desirable that British scholars, excavators, and museum officials should be asked through the Journal to assist in making the section on Roman Britain adequately representative in this new museum of the Roman empire.

The small British section which I was able to organise in I9II with funds provided partly from the Royal Commission grant and partly by the Italian authorities contained some interesting and important exhibits; and what is now necessary is to add to their number in such a way that the British section of what is now a permanent museum may become of sufficient extent and value to be properly representative. At present Britannia shares a room with Germania and Rhaetia. Casts, plans, photographs and reports are all desirable and will all be welcome; but in order to avoid duplication, 1 I may perhaps be allowed to suggest that those who are good enough to desire to assist the scheme should first communicate with the Secretary of the Society. The first congress of Roman Studies is to be inaugurated in Rome on the next birthday of the city, April 2ISt, I928; and it would seem to me that it would be a fitting date by which the inhabitants of what was once the most remote of the provinces of the Roman Empire should perfect their contributions.

THOMAS ASHBY.

1 This obviously does not apply to any material regarding discoveries which have occurred since 1911.

283 NOTE.

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