Archeologia e regime: la ricostruzione del mausoleo di Obulaccus a Sarsina

The excavation of the Roman necropolis at Pian di Bezzo in Sarsina, initiated in 1927 and sponsored by Arnaldo Mussolini, led to the recovery of a considerable number of architectural elements, primarily from three large mausolea dating to the second half of the first century BC. Notably, the aedicula monument with a pyramidal roof, dedicated to Aulus Murcius Obulaccus, was recovered almost in its entirety and initially reconstructed in individual sections within the galleries of the Archaeological Museum of Sarsina. Subsequently, in 1938, it was reconstructed in its entirety in the Parco della Rimembranza as a memorial to the fallen of the First World War. The purpose of the study is to chronicle the discovery, anastylosis, and ideologically-driven repurposing of the mausoleum, contextualising these events within their historical milieu and foregrounding the contributions of key figures, most prominently the renowned archaeologist Salvatore Aurigemma. The resulting narrative is multifaceted, receiving extensive coverage in the contemporary national press, wherein the monument’s history intersects with the broader, more intricate evolution of conception of Roman antiquities during the Fascist era and its use for propagandistic and commemorative purposes and commemoration.