Spain, more than 4,000 fragments of the paintings that decorated a Roman villa discovered

Major archaeological discovery in Spain during excavations at the Roman villa of Barberes Sud in the city of La Vila Joiosa (Comunidad Valenciana, province of Alicante), which uncovered more than 4,000 new fragments of the paintings that decorated the residence in the early second century AD.

The latest excavation campaign conducted in the Roman villa of Barberes Sud, co-led by the company Alebus Patrimoni Històric and the Municipal Archaeology Service, has uncovered thousands of fragments of the wall paintings that decorated the stately rooms of a large imperial-era villa, located next to the road that connected the Roman city of Allon with the coast, in the present region of Marina Baixa. The work, carried out on a total area of 842 m², allowed archaeologists to uncover part of the plan of the villa, built during the reign of Emperor Trajan, with a part for manufacturing use, a courtyard or atrium with several rooms (probably for the use of servants) and finally a large uncovered space, porticoed with large columns, intended for the garden of the house and surrounded by stately rooms, richly decorated at the time. Of this part only the foundations have been preserved.

The walls were built of rammed earth (pressed clay) and appeared collapsed inside the rooms and porticoed courtyard. One of the stately rooms has fully preserved the stucco on its walls, the excavation of which required very meticulous work as fragments of painted plaster were preserved. Each fragment or group of fragments has been consolidated by restorers from the company itself and from that of Vilamuseu (the network of museums and monuments in La Vila Joiosa), and photogrammetry of each of the stucco layers has been made, numbered and located, which will allow one to get an idea of the original composition.

Once the excavations were completed, work began in the Vilamuseu restoration laboratory to consolidate and reconstruct the panels that decorated the hall. We are beginning to catch a glimpse of the rich decoration of the hall, and it has even been possible to reconstruct part of a panel with 22 fragments of the 866 documented in this hall, which shows a rich decoration of plant garlands, alternating with birds and topped with molding at the top. Vilamuseu volunteers are participating in the cleaning work under the direction of the conservation department.

Other fragments, which are being inventoried and restored, include fragments of curvilinear stucco, decorated in imitation of fluted columns, which covered large columns that supported the porticoed space surrounding the Roman villa’s garden.

Spain, more than 4,000 fragments of the paintings that decorated a Roman villa discovered

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