The prominent role which ancient Rome played in the ideology of Italian Fascism, though the focus of several recent publications (e.g. J. Arthurs, Excavating Modernity [2012]; J. Nelis, From Ancient to Modern: the Myth of Romanità during the ventennio fascista [2011]; P. Baxa, Roads and Ruins: the Symbolic Landscape of Fascist Rome [2010]), still requires a great deal of further research. L. and R.-J. have shown this to be especially true in their new book in which they provide the first detailed translation, commentary and analysis of a Latin text composed during the Fascist ventennio. L. and R.-J. have been pioneers in this field, and their publication adds new material to the growing body of scholarship on the nature of romanità in Fascist culture.
The Latin text was written in 1932 by the Italian Classicist Aurelio Giuseppe Amatucci (1867–1960) to inaugurate the regime's new sports complex in Rome, the so-called ‘Foro Mussolini’ (today's ‘Foro Italico’). It was placed along with several commemorative gold coins underneath the complex's centrepiece: a massive Carrara marble obelisk inscribed MVSSOLINI DVX, where it presumably still lies today. In his prose composition of about 1,200 words, Amatucci gives a brief account of Italian history and celebrates the various successes which Mussolini's regime achieved during his first ten years in power. This offers a glimpse into how supporters of the regime, which so fervently promoted myths and symbols of the ancient past, may have conceived of their own movement playing a similar ‘mythological’ role for future Italians.
The book is divided into eight sub-sections arranged so that each topic can be read independently or in sequence. This format makes the book accessible to students and scholars from a range of different academic backgrounds. Although some sections seem at times too short (e.g. Section 6), the authors provide excellent bibliographies, which will aid any reader interested in further pursuing specific topics.
After an introductory note, Section 2, ‘Structure and Content’, provides a two-page summary of the codex, which the authors divide into three parts: (1) a summary of Italian history from the Risorgimento to the rise of Fascism, (2) Mussolini's political accomplishments and (3) a history of the ONB (Opera Nazionale Balilla), for whom the complex was designed, and its architectural elements. This third and longest section ends with praise for the obelisk's eternal commemorative power (ironic, given that the discovery of the codex is predicated on the obelisk's collapse).
Section 3, ‘Editions’, provides a history of the four known printed editions of the codex and the differences among them. L. and R.-J. speculate about the intended audience(s) of these editions in Section 5 (p. 21). Section 4, ‘The Author’, offers a short biography of Amatucci. Little new information is added here, but the authors argue that he had a far more active role in promoting the regime's ideology than earlier studies have granted. Section 5, ‘The Codex and the Use of Latin under Fascism’, surveys how Latin acquired unprecedented ideological significance during the Fascist period as the ISR (Istituto di Studi Romani) developed a programme for the revival of Latin around the world. For Classicists like Amatucci who were involved in such projects, the authors argue that Latin ‘was not simply regarded as a relic of the ancient past, but as a modern language apt to express the revolutionary ideas of Fascism’ (p. 18), thus supporting the relatively recent trend in scholarship to view Fascist romanità as a concept that was not static and antiquated, but dynamic and modern (most notably R. Griffin, Modernism and Fascism: the Sense of a Beginning Under Mussolini and Hitler [2007]). However, a note of caution must be added to the characterisation of the ISR in this section: they write that it promoted Latin ‘with the explicit support of Mussolini himself’ (p. 16), but provide no further information to support this claim. In discussing such cultural institutions during the Fascist period, it is important to note that the ISR, though the recipient of state funding, always maintained a degree of political independence. This is not to deny that the ISR contributed a great deal to the regime's propaganda goals, but the relationship was far more complex than the authors suggest here, as Arthurs has shown (op. cit., pp. 29–49). This section also includes some analysis of the codex's Latin, which feels a bit misplaced and perhaps would have served the reader better if left until the commentary.
The relationship between the codex and its location within the Foro Mussolini is explored in Section 6, ‘The Codex and the Foro Mussolini’. L. and R.-J. stress a link between contemporaneous excavations of the Imperial Fora with the construction of this new one, suggesting that Amatucci may have envisioned a time when the Foro Mussolini would lie in ruins. His description of the complex, then, might have been intended to help future archaeologists interpret its remains. They briefly compare this attitude with Nazi architect Albert Speer's Ruinenwert, a comparison worthy of further study.
Section 7, ‘The Codex under the Obelisk’, discusses the ancient connotations of the obelisk as a monument. Noting that classical designs were rejected in favour of a more modern one, L. and R.-J. describe the obelisk as a monument which ‘visually merged romanità with modernity’ (p. 54). Their word choice here is a bit unclear though, since romanità and modernity were not opposing ideas during the Fascist period (as the authors have acknowledged earlier), but in fact went hand in hand. If by this they mean (as I think) that the design blended ancient Rome with modernity, then this presents a compelling connection between the way philologists, archaeologists, as well as architects, viewed the ancient past as an exemplum not to be slavishly copied, but one meant to inspire new ideas. This raises questions concerning the extent to which philologists like Amatucci were in dialogue with their archaeologist counterparts at the ISR, a dialogue which has yet to be fully studied using archival material. It would be interesting, for example, to see the relationship between Amatucci and archaeologist Giulio Q. Giglioli, who oversaw excavations at the Mausoleum and the Forum of Augustus.
Section 8, ‘The Codex as a Foundation Deposit’, discusses the possible contents of the foundation deposit and its specific location inside the obelisk, as well as the nature of deposit ceremonies during the Fascist period more generally.
The remaining pages are dedicated to the Latin text. The authors provide a very literal translation in order to offer greater accessibility to readers with little knowledge of Latin. However, this becomes a bit too literal in places to the point that it obscures the meaning for a native English speaker (e.g. ‘[Mussolini] achieved it that they received the greatest possible use from the victory in war’ for effecisse ut ii quam maximas utilitates ex belli victoria caperent [p. 87]), but otherwise superb with a lemmatic commentary rich in relevant (but not excessive) background information on any persons, dates or historical events.
So who can make use of this new study? First and foremost, it will prove valuable for any serious scholar of Fascist romanità. L. and R.-J. have done a great deal of archival work not only on Amatucci's codex, but on many other Latin compositions from the Fascist period, and their bibliography is replete with sources. The book's brevity, along with its clear prose, makes it an appealing text for students as a gateway to understanding Fascist culture from primary source material. Their thorough commentary will allow even those with no Latin background to appreciate the subtle rhetorical strategies of Amatucci's Latin. It will also be of interest to students of Latin prose composition, as Amatucci mimics Cicero and Livy in style. Courses in classical reception are becoming increasingly popular in many universities, and this book would serve well to make students curious to learn more about the many roles which Latin has played beyond the ancient world.
