Fiorelli, Giuseppe

Born June 8, 1823, in Naples; died there Jan. 28, 1896. Italian archaeologist and public figure; participant in the struggle for the unification of Italy.

Beginning in 1845, Fiorelli directed excavations in Pompeii, conducting them strictly according to scientific principles. He became director of the National Museum in Naples and inspector of excavations in 1863, and in 1875 he was made director general of museums and excavations of Italy. Fiorelli was an expert on the coins of ancient Greece and Rome. He founded the Italian archaeological school.