Roland Mayer, "The Ruins of Rome: A Cultural History" (Cambridge UP, 2025)

The fascination with ancient ruins represents a distinctly Western European sentiment that evolved from viewing historical sites as mere quarries to treating them as essential repositories of cultural memory. Initially, local populations in Rome and elsewhere repurposed ancient stone for new construction, disregarding the historical value of these structures. The 14th-century poet Petrarch catalyzed a shift in this perception, establishing a connection between physical remains and literary history. This "ruin-mindedness" eventually transformed these sites into centers for tourism and scholarly inquiry. Governments later leveraged this aesthetic, using the conservation of ruins to bolster national identity and imperial legitimacy, as seen in Mussolini’s Italy or modern political movements in Iran. Ultimately, the preservation of these sites serves as a bridge between the past and present, providing a tangible foundation for collective identity and economic development through global tourism.