Touching Ancient Monuments: Jacob Spon’s Journey through Italy, Greece, and the Levant (1675–1676)

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  Heorhii Papakin

Abstract

The article highlights the important topic of early modern travel specificity of European scholars-antiquarians to the East using the example of the travels of the famous researcher of ancient antiquities Jacob Spon. The purpose of such scholarly voyages was mostly not only to get acquainted with the life, culture, science, politics and institutions of modern states of the East. Scholarly travelers sought to see with their own eyes the heritage of past civilizations, primarily the ancient one. This was Spon’s goal in his journey that lasted almost two years and covered two continents (Europe and Asia). These were lands where ancient Greek, Roman, early Christian, Rumian (Byzantine), Arab and Ottoman civilizations spread. Ruins of temples, fortresses, public buildings, memorial structures, statues of gods and heroes, inscriptions on stones, coins, medals, gems – all this attracted the attention of the scholar traveler. His impressions with many details, with drawings, sketches, maps, and descriptions, remained in Spon’s travelogue, which was published a year after his return to Lyon. However, the journey of the Lyon doctor cannot be considered only in spatial and temporal dimensions. Almost everywhere he met his colleagues-antiquarians, scientists, and travelers who had traveled the East before him, collected ancient artifacts, and were members of the “Republic of Letters” – a kind of academic community of the Early Modern and Modern times. It included high-ranking diplomatic agents of France and England, trade representatives, and priests. They assisted Spon in his journey, helped him obtain permits from the Ottoman authorities, directed him to search for ancient artifacts and monuments, and even traveled together with him. So, he actually moved from one citizen of the “Republic of Letters” to another, exchanged ideas and observations with them, and received useful information from them. The article first outlines the unity of all three components of Spon’s voyage: in space, time, and in the community of the “Republic of Letters”. The circle of intellectual communication of the scientist is determined, starting with his traveling companion George Wheler. For Spon the scientist, the journey to the East became one of the defining stages of his life, the formation of his scientific method, the formation of ideas about the exceptional importance of material sources for understanding the past. In fact, all of Spon’s subsequent works, primarily the most important book on ancient antiquities and source studies, were a consequence of the scientist’s eastern voyage.

How to Cite

Papakin , H. (2026). Touching Ancient Monuments: Jacob Spon’s Journey through Italy, Greece, and the Levant (1675–1676). The World of the Orient, (2 (131), 67-84. https://doi.org/10.15407/orientw2026.02.067
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Keywords

Asia; antiquarianism; Antiquity; Greece; Jacob Spon; “Republic of Letters”; travelogue

References
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REFERENCES
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Abbott G. F. (2008), Under the Turks in Constantinople. The Records of Sir John Finch’s Embassy 1674–1687, Read Books, London.
Amalthea oder Museum der Kunstmythologie und bildlichen Alterthumskunde: Im Verein mit mehrern Freunden des Alterthums (1820), K. A. Böttiger (ed.), B. 1, G. J. Göschen, Leipzig.
Andriotis K. (2009), “Early Travelers to Greece and Their Modern Counterparts”, Paper presented at the Tourist Experiences: Meanings, Motivations, Behaviors, 1–4, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, UK.
Apostolou I. (2017), Jacob Spon. Christian-Muslim Relations 1500–1900, Vol. 9: Western and Southern Europe (1600–1700), D. Thomas and J. Chesworth (eds), Brill, pp. 406–412.
Athanassopoulou E. F. (2002), “An ‘Ancient’ Landscape: European Ideals, Archeology, and Nation Building in Early Modern Greece”, Journal of Modern Greek Studies, Vol. 20, pp. 273–305. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1353/MGS.2002.0018
Babin J. P. (1674), Relation de l’etat present de la ville d’Athиnes, ancienne capitale de la Grиce, J. Spon (ed.), Lyon.
[Della Valle P.] (1650), Viaggi di Pietro Della Valle il pellegrino, con minuto ragguaglio di tutte le cose notabili osservate in essi: descritti da lui medesimo in 54 lettere familiari all’erudito suo amico Mario Schipano, divisi in tre parti cioи: la Turchia, la Persia e l’India. Colla vita e ritratto dell’autore, V. Mascardi, Roma.
Du Loir [Nicolas?] (1654), Les voyage du sieur Du Loir, ensemble de ce qui se passa а la mort du feu Sultan Mourat dans le Serrail, les ceremonies de ses funerailles; & celles de l’avenement а l’Empire de Sultan Hibraim son frere, qui luy succeda. Avec la relation du siege de Babylone fait en 1639, par Sultan Mourat, Fr. Clouzier, Paris.
Duggan T. M. P. (2019), “On Early Antiquarians in Asia Minor to the Start of the 19th Century”, Gephyra, Vol. 17, pp. 115–167. DOI: https://doi.org/10.37095/gephyra.505338
Early Voyagers and Travels in the Levant (1893), J. Th. Bent (ed.), Cambridge UP, Cambridge (UK).
[Guillet G.] (1675), Athиnes ancienne et nouvelle, et l’estat présent de l’empire des Turcs, contenant la vie du sultan Mahomet IV. Le ministиre de Coprogli Achmet Pacha, Grand Vizir. Ce qui s’est passé dans le camp des Turcs au siиge de Candie. Et plusieurs autres particularitez des affaires de la Porte. Avec le plan de la ville d’Athиnes. Par le Sr. de La Guilletiиre, Es. Michallet, Paris.
Gyllius P. (1561), De topographia Constantinopoleos et de illius antiquitatibus libri IV, G. Roville, Lyon.
Knight K. (2000), “The Travels of Rev. Sir George Wheler (1650–1723)”, Georgian Group Journal, Vol. X, pp. 21–35.
Krumenacker Yv., (2017–2018), “Motivations du travail des antiquaires”, Les Carnets du LARHRA, 1, available at: https://publications-prairial.fr/larhra/index.php?id=344 (accessed October 20, 2025).
Mitsi E. (2006), “Travel, Memory and Authorship: George Wheler’s ‘A Journey into Greece (1682)’ ”, Restoration: Studies in English Literary Culture, 1660–1700, Vol. 30, No. 1, pp. 15–29.
Moreau Yv. (2014a), “Édition critique de la correspondance de Jacob Spon (1647–1685)”, Les Carnets du LARHRA, 1, E-resource, available at: https://publications-prairial.fr/larhra/index.php?id=1087 (accessed October 3, 2024).
Moreau Yv. (2014b), “Parcours, itinéraires, rhizome: applications et limites danc un réseau de la République des Lettres”, Les Carnets du LARHRA, 2, E-resource, available at: https://publications-prairial.fr/larhra/index.php?id=1069 (accessed October 27, 2024).
Moreau Yv. (2018), Correspondance de Jacob Spon, médecin et antiquaire protestant lyonnais du XVIIe siècle, E-resource, available at: https://correspondancejacobspon.wordpress.com/les-correspondants/biographies-des-correspondants/ (accessed September 04, 2023).
Paradin G. (1573), Mémoires de l’histoire de Lyon, en trois livres, avec les inscriptions antiques, les tombeaux et épitaphes, etc., Lyon.
Paton J. M. (1951), Medieval and Renaissance Visitor to Greek Lands, L. A. P. (ed.), Princeton.
Pollard L. (2015), The Quest for Classical Greece: Early Modern Travel to Greece World, I. B. Tauris, London.
“Querelle Guillet–Spon”, in Projet ANR Agon: La dispute, E-resource, available at: https://obtic.huma-num.fr/agon/querelles/querelle-guillet-spon (accessed February 12, 2021).
Ricaut P. (1668), The Present State of the Ottoman Empire: In three books, J. Starkey & Brome, London.
Ricaut P. (1680), The History of the Turkish Empire from year 1623 to year 1677, London.
Spon J. (1674a), “Préface au Lecteur curieux”, in Babin J. P., Relation de l’etat présent de la ville d’Athиnes, ancienne capitale de la Grиce, J. Spon (ed.), Lyon.
Spon J. (1674b), Recherche des antiquités et curiosités de la ville de Lyon, ancienne colonia des Romains et capitale de la Gaule Celtique. Avec un mémoire des principaux antiquaries et curieux de l’Europa, J. Faeton, Lyon.
Spon J. (1678), Voyage d’Italie, de Dalmatie, de Grèce et du Levant, fait aux années 1675 et 1676, par Iacob Spon, Docteur Médecin Aggrege de Lyon, et George Wheler, gentilhomme Anglois, V. 1, V. 2, A. Cellier le fils, Lyon.
[Spon J.] (1679), Réponse de la critique publie par m. Guillet, sur le Voyage dt Greese de Jacob Spon: Avec quatre lettres sur le mesme sujets, de Journal d`Angleterre de Sieur Vernon, et la Liste des erreurs commises par m. Guillet dans son Athenas anciennes et nouvelle, Th. Amaulri, Lyon.
Spon J. (1680), Histoire de la ville et de l`Estate de Genиve depuis les premiers Siиcles de fondation de la Ville jusqu’а present: Tirer fidèlement des Manuscrits, Th. Amaulry, Lyon.
Spon J. (1685), Miscellanea eruditae antiquitatis: in quibus marmora, statuae, musiva, toreumata, gemmae, numismata, Grutero, Ursino, Boissardo, Reinesio, aliisque antiquorum Monumentorum Collectoribus ignota, & hucusque inedita referuntur ac illustrantur, Fratrum Huguetan & Soc. Lugduni, [Lyon].
Stark C. B. (1880), Handbuch der Archдologie der Kunst, Abtheilung 1: Systematik und Geschichte der Archдologie der Kunst, Leipzig.
Tavernier J. (1676), Les Six Voyages de Jean Baptiste Tavernier, Ecuyer Baron d’Aubonne, qu’il a fait en Turquie, en Perse, et aux Indes, pendant l’espace de quarante ans, & par toutes les routes que l’on peut tenir…, G. Clouzier & Cl. Barbim, Paris.
Wheler G. (1682), Journey into Greece in the Company of Dr. Spon of Lyons in six books, W. Cademan, R. Kettlewell & A. Churchill, London.