Archaeology in the Service of the Dominante: Giovanni Matteo Bembo and the Antiquities of Cyprus

This study focuses on the figure of Giovanni Matteo Bembo and, especially, on his relationship with the island of Cyprus. Bembo was a learned Venetian aristocrat and nephew of Cardinal Pietro, whose famous Asolani take place at the court of Caterina Cornaro, former queen of Cyprus. Giovanni Matteo Bembo had a long and successful career, both as a military man and as an administrator of the Venetian possessions on the Italian mainland and overseas. He was sent to Cyprus with different appointments, including that of Captain of Famagusta from 1546 to 1548, during which time he was in charge of the most important military stronghold of the island. While in Famagusta he promoted a sophisticated plan of urban renewal, which entailed major works at the city walls, the building of a new aqueduct and the establishment of a series of monuments in the main square of the city. Among these were two granite columns and a marble sarcophagus that, according to contemporary sources, was said to be the ancient tomb of Venus, first queen of Cyprus. The article concludes by offering a preliminary explanation of the political and ideological motivations underlying the apparently bizarre interpretation of this ancient artefact.