Vittorio Spinazzola

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Vittorio Spinazzola (born April 2, 1863 in Matera ; died April 13, 1943 in Rome ) was an Italian classical archaeologist .

Spinazzola first studied Romance studies and literature at the University of Naples and did his doctorate with Francesco D'Ovidio . During this time he made friends with Francesco Saverio Nitti , Benedetto Croce and Gabriele D'Annunzio . D'Annunzio's drama La città morta is based on a suggestion by Spinazzola. Throughout his life he remained connected to literature, especially Dante .

In 1893 he became inspector of the provincial administration for ancient art, in 1895 and 1896 he was employed at the Archaeological Museum in Bologna and at the National Museum in Taranto . In 1897 he was appointed personal advisor to the Minister of Education. In 1898 he was appointed curator of the Museo Nazionale di San Martino in Naples and held this post until 1910. At the same time, he was also a freelance lecturer in archeology at the University of Naples from 1903 to 1907. In 1910 he became director of the National Archaeological Museum in Naples, a year later Soprintendente the excavations and museums in the provinces of Naples , Caserta , Avellino , Salerno , Benevento and Campobasso . This included the chief excavation management for Pompeii . From 1919 he was also soprintendente for the monuments and galleries of the aforementioned provinces.

During his time at the Museo di San Martino, Spinazzola carried out excavations, in particular the first scientific excavation in Paestum , where he uncovered the so-called basilica and the most important buildings of the forum. His archaeological research into the cave of the Sibylle in Cumae or the temple of Apollo there, for which he was able to secure the allocation, were also important. In Pompeii, however, he developed new methods for archaeological exploration of the city. Previously, digging was only carried out in individual, important or productive areas that could not create any overall impression, so Spinazzola began excavating Pompeii street by street. The aim was to revive entire neighborhoods. At the same time, he made sure that the upper floors of the building were preserved during the excavation and developed methods for this purpose that were also followed up and improved by his successors. In this way he exposed hundreds of meters of the Via dell'Abbondanza with all its numerous testimonies of daily life. Wall paintings were just as important to him as political graffiti, and small shrines were as important as bakeries or handicraft businesses. He discovered the Casa di Loreio Tiburtino (actually Casa di Ottavio Quartione ), the Casa dell'Efebo and the Casa di Trebio Valente.

Because of Spinazzola's critical stance on Benito Mussolini , the excavation in Pompeii had to be stopped in 1923. Until his death, Spinazzola worked on the finds from 1910 to 1923 in order to publish them. He himself could not live to see the publication, as the publisher intended for publication was hit in a bomb attack shortly before going to press during the Second World War and the manuscript was considered lost. But there was a copy in Milan, which was published in 1953 by decision of the Italian government in full under the title Pompei alla Luce degli Scavi nuovi di Via dell'Abbondanza (anni 1910-1923) in two volumes. The work was edited by Salvatore Aurigemma , the son-in-law who was married to Spinazzola's daughter from his first marriage, Maria Giulia. Vittorio Spinazzola was married to the archaeologist Alda Levi in 1932 .

Publications (selection)

  • Gli Augures . E. Loescher e.ci., Rome 1895.
  • Gli Avvenimenti del 1799 in Napoli da nuove Ricerche e Documenti inediti del Museo Nazionale di S. Martino . L. Pierro, Naples 1899.
  • Le Origini e il Cammino dell'Arte . G. Laterza & figli, Bari 1904.
  • L'Arte ed il Seicento in Napoli . V. Morano, Naples 1905.
  • L'Anfiteatro Flavio: Storia degli Scavi ed Ultime Scoperte, 1590–1895 . R. Marghieri, Naples 1907.
  • L'Arte di Dante . R. Ricciardi, Naples 1921.
  • Le Arti decorative in Pompei e nel Museo nazionale di Napoli . Bestetti & Tumminelli, Milan 1928.
  • Pompeii alla Luce degli Scavi nuovi di Via dell'Abbondanza (anni 1910–1923) . 2 volumes. Libreria dello Stato, Rome 1953.

literature

  • Salvatore Aurigemma in: Vittorio Spinazzola: Pompei alla Luce degli Scavi nuovi di Via dell'Abbondanza (1910–1923) . Rome 1953, pp. IX-XIV.

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Spinazzola, Vittorio
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Italian classical archaeologist
DATE OF BIRTH April 2, 1863
PLACE OF BIRTH Matera
DATE OF DEATH April 13, 1943
Place of death Rome