played a fundamental role in the development of archaeology in Italy. The earliest descriptions were probably offered with pilgrims to the Holy City in mind: the so-called Einsiedeln Itinerary (ca. a.d. 800) included descriptions of ancient monuments among those of the churches of Rome. A number of these monuments had apparently disappeared by the time of the influential Mirabilia Urbis Romae (Marvels of the City of Rome; ca. 1140). The sack of Rome in a.d. 1082 had damaged a substantial part of the city. Just as serious was the mining of the city’s ancient structures for building materials; the ninth century saw the start of this practice on a large scale, and it would continue for many hundreds of years.

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Archaeological Sites in Italy