Abstract
In 1863 the Museum of Mediterranean Archaeology opened its doors in Marseilles, France. From 1863 to 1889 one of its employees, Hippolyte Augier, conceived of and constructed 79 scale models representing ancient monuments and archaeological sites. This collection was exhibited in the museum with didactical and educational purposes. During the early 20th century these models were removed from the showcases and put into storage. In the last twenty years archaeologists have rediscovered Augier’s works, and his models have become archaeological archives. These documents constitute a very relevant source of information for the history of archaeology. The series of 79 models that he made can be considered as a coherent set. Studied in connection with other documents such as archives, collections and publications, the series expresses a particular conception of archaeology at the end of the 19th century.
Highlights
In 1802, a first archaeological museum opened its doors in Marseilles
It gathered important collections that testified to the existence of an erudite and antiquarian tradition in the city since the end of the 16th century
In this article we will focus on Penon’s collaborator, Hippolyte Augier, who created a series of 79 scale models between 1863 and the year he published a catalogue, 1888
Summary
In 1802, a first archaeological museum opened its doors in Marseilles. It gathered important collections that testified to the existence of an erudite and antiquarian tradition in the city since the end of the 16th century. In this article we will focus on Penon’s collaborator, Hippolyte Augier, who created a series of 79 scale models between 1863 and the year he published a catalogue, 1888 These models represent monuments and archaeological sites, especially funeral and religious architecture, Roman machines of war and some archetypal representations, such as the “lake dwellings” (Inv. 3715, see figure 1) or the “Gallic village” (Inv. 3732). Their chronology is certainly broad, from prehistory – with many megalithic monuments – through to the 16th century They cover four large areas: more than a third of the models represent sites and monuments from the cities of Marseilles and Arles; a second set brings together subjects from the remainder of the South of France; a third set covers the national territory of France and reaches to Great Britain and Switzerland; the fourth and last set extends across the countries of the Mediterranean basin (Italy, Malta, Cyprus and Egypt). We will consider these 79 reproductions as an essential source of information to understand and illustrate the very concept of Mediterranean archaeology at the end of the 19th century
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