Visions of the Empire

What is it about?

Since the 1920s, the regime promoted a significant visual use of Libyan archeological ruins, which were photographed and published by the newspapers, periodicals and academic journals in Italy and overseas. The visualization of antiquities had a clear political purpose: strengthen the fascist historic imaginary while celebrating the myth of romanità and the ideal connection existing between the metropolis and the colony. At the same time, it sought to emphasize the theme of modernity, showing the intimate relation among science, technology, and preservation of the ancient world. Starting from the role that the regime assigned to Libyan antiquities, the present article focuses on such relation and looks into the use of a specific means of communication: archeological photography. Divested of its scientific value, archeological photography was not used so much to document the excavation activities. Rather, it legitimized the superiority of Italian science, which could bring Rome’s past back to life in territories that were conquered once again. In this sense, the visualization of historical evidence further legitimized the Italian domination over the colony, providing the fascist colonial archive with new themes.

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