History
NEMI'S DISPERSED TREASURES HOW THE FINDS FROM THE ANCIENT TEMPLE OF DIANA ENDED UP IN NOTTINGHAM AND COPENHAGEN Margaret Stenhouse
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n 1885, when Sir John Savile Lumely, Her Britannic Majesty's ambassador to Italy, began excavating the area of the Temple of Diana at Lake Nemi in the Castelli Romani, Rome had been the capital of Italy for less than 15 years. The city was in an upheaval of expansion, restructuring and modernisation that involved the demolition and rebuilding of entire quarters in the historic centre. During the works an enormous quantity of ancient art came to light. At the time, not much thought was given to preservation and the protection of the new nation's historic heritage, and archaeological digs were little more than glorified treasure hunts. Sir John was approaching retirement and Rome was considered a suitable backwater where the diplomat could relax after a long and often
Lake Nemi
10 | October 2021 • Wanted in Rome
turbulent career. But it also suited the ambassador particularly well as he was a passionate amateur archaeologist and the Rome post gave him the ideal opportunity to indulge his hobby. He turned his attention to the lesser known sites outside the city boundaries and decided to concentrate on the Lake Nemi crater where ancient sources had mentioned an important cult centre dedicated to the goddess Artemis-Diana. Although it was recorded that a number of important pieces of sculpture had been purloined from the site over the centuries, Nemi was, from an archaeologist's point of view, virgin territory when Sir John arrived, and he was full of anticipation. Only a few years earlier, John Turtle Wood – an English surveyor and architect employed by the Ottoman railways – had made
