[cat] L'any 2008 se celebrà el primer centenari de l'inici de les excavacions arqueològiques a l'antiga ciutat grecorromana d'Empúries. Sense voler negar la importància cultural i simbòlica d'aquest fet, a través de les següents pàgines exposarem que, en realitat, els precedents de les intervencions en aquest jaciment són molt anteriors i en ells hi tingué un paper destacat, entre d'altres personatges avui quasi oblidats, el funcionari Gabriel de Molina Ramos. Raó per la qual creiem d'interès investigar qui era i per quin motiu se sentí atret per l'arqueologia. La base d'aquesta recerca són, en bona part, documents inèdits trobats en diferents arxius catalans i estatals.

[eng] Archaeology and Collectionism: Gabriel de Molina and the beginning of the excavations at Empúries (Abastract) The year 2008 marked the centenary of the beginning of the archaeological excavations at the ancient Greco-Roman city of Empúries. Without wishing to deny the cultural and symbolic relevance of this anniversary, in the following pages we will explain that, in fact, the first interventions in this site are much older and, among other characters today almost forgotten, the civil servant Gabriel de Molina Ramos played an important role in them. Reason why we think of interest to investigate who he was and for what reason he was attracted to archaeology. This research is based on unpublished documents found in different Catalan and statewide archives. Keywords: Empúries, archaeology historigraphy, collectionism, liberalism, 19th Century