The Secrey of the Bourbons: How Did the History of the Bourbon Excavations at Ancient Vesuvian Cities Impact Antiquarianism and Archaeological Practice?

Giovanni Battista Piranesi (1720 - 1778)

Hello! My name is Reagan Gibson, and I am a senior at Florida State University. I am currently getting my Bachelor of Arts with a major in Classical Archaeology and a minor in Museum Studies and Cultural Heritage, and planning to graduate in the Spring of 2026. This summer, I will be conducting some independent research abroad in the Bay of Naples and the surrounding areas, focusing on the relationship between unlawful exportation of artifacts and the reign of the House of Bourbon during their reign in the 18th century. In the past, there has been some research in this field, such as tracing previously lost artifacts to museums in the surrounding areas, but many of them remain lost to time with no documentation, and this is a detrimental gap in the scholarship of the area. In order to research this, I signed up for the Honors in the Major Program at FSU, which consists of developing a committee of professors from both my department and others, constructing an approved prospectus, developing a dissertation (similar to that of a doctoral candidate), and defending the research to the council. This process is expected to take three semesters, of which I am currently in the “prospectus semester” and have now been approved to start this research in the coming summer. 

The aim of this research is to collect essential data in southern Italy. In Campania, there is a broad history of archaeological excavations. As attested by a rich scholarship (Lapatin, etc.), the dispersal of a substantial portion of the 18th century collections is a debated issue. Aristocratic networks, personal favors, and nationalistic claims drove the circulation and loss of artifacts. This thesis will explore the extent of the losses and assess the Bourbon excavation’s impact in the transition from antiquarianism to more scientific archaeological practices. It will investigate not only the historic discontent of scholars, but also the contemporary issues that evolution in the field has produced as a byproduct which remains paramount even today. The visual framework of this treatise is paramount to conducting essential data collection, as it greatly affects the contemporary community, and contributes to creating original and independent research. To that end, with the monetary assistance of the grant, I will visit the archaeological collections at the Museo Archaeologico di Napoli, Pompeii, Eroclano, and Stabiae. Also, as experiencing the collections for myself will be of utmost importance to the collected data and analysis, I will visit the Museo Reale and Villa D’Elboeuf in Portici, which will provide first-hand experience of the original display of the collections. 

As a result of this project, I hope to achieve a level of scholarship that can only be reached through copious amounts of time spent devoted to a topic of academic intrigue among more learned colleagues and mentors. During my time abroad, my time will be spent both learning in the field during the archaeological dig at Capraia E Limite and  researching my honors thesis topic in Naples. I hope to gain experience as a scholar and an academic. It is my active goal in this process that this experience will inspire and drive me to continue my work in archaeology, and allow me to contribute to the archaeological and art historical community in a meaningful way. Ideally, this work will factor into my preparation for higher education, as I plan to utilize this opportunity to advance my skills in research and practice in the field prior to graduate school applications. I am very excited to have the opportunity to gain this unique experience!