ABSTRACT
A common feature of human behaviour is the way in which those in power and authority attempt to legitimize, advertise and glorify their position with pomp and display, and commemorates their rule through art and architecture. Most rulers have sought to commission impressive monuments, but this was not always possible, for reasons of time, politics or lack of resources; an enterprising ruler might then recycle the monuments of his predecessors, either by simply usurping them or by moving them to new locations and contexts. An ambivalent approach to the government's role in supporting the arts and collecting both art and antiquities was introduced into British government thinking and has persisted in different guises. The scholars were regarded with mild contempt by the soldiers. The soldiers -officers and men- became well aware of the interest and value of antiquities, both to the scholars and to their Commander-inChief, and so any possible acts of vandalism were avoided.
