"Here's how we restore the ancient sunken floor." Archaeologist Enrico Gallocchio speaks.

by Noemi Capoccia , published on 31/07/2024
Categories: Interviews / Disclaimer
The restoration of a precious marble floor discovered a few years ago in the Underwater Archaeological Park of Baia has recently begun. How does this work take place and what is it for? We talk about it in this interview with Enrico Gallocchio, an archaeologist in Baia.

In the Underwater Archaeological Park of Baia, the restoration of a precious marble floor, which in ancient times decorated a reception room of a Roman villa, started a few days ago. An important work to protect one of the most interesting recent discoveries among the Baia seabed. How is this restoration progressing? What is it being used for? How does one work in a park submerged by sea water? We talked about it with Enrico Gallocchio, archaeologist of the Baia Underwater Park.

NC. Let’s talk about the marble floor of the Roman villa in the depths of the Baia park. When was it discovered?

EG. The presence of a floor has been known since 2012, after a storm surge that left a short section of it uncovered and very compromised. Quick surveys at the time sensed the complexity of the operation and decided to cover the area with sand, postponing the excavation and recovery work to a later time, which did not come until 2024.

What were the first impressions about the discovery? Why was it decided to embark on a restoration path?

Discovery, in the Baia Underwater Park, is always accompanied by the immediate need for restoration. If that is not possible, it is covered immediately, because the action of the sea would be destructive. With this year’s intervention, the excavation proceeded hand in hand with the restoration, because the slabs had to be immediately reassembled and glued back together in an almost simultaneous action. The risk was otherwise of losing the connection between slab and slab and thus the geometric pattern at the base of the floor

What are we talking about when we refer to the Opus Sectile? What does the decorative technique consist of and what are its characteristics?

Opus sectile is the term used in archaeology to recognize a floor the slabs of marble specially cut out to create a pattern, mostly of a geometric type. The combined use of different marbles with different colors generates a pattern that is often repeated several times, both on floor and wall surfaces. It is a technique that found full expression and diffusion in Roman times and spread throughout the Mediterranean, becoming a fashionable phenomenon among the elite who could dispose of the most valuable marbles

How did the restoration of the marble floor take place? Were there additional areas within the Roman villa that were restored?

The Villa with a prothyrum entrance is one of the contexts of the Baia Underwater Park that we know best. Thanks to decades of work first carried out by the Superintendence of Naples with the collaboration of the Central Institute for Restoration and continued since the managing body is the Campi Flegrei Archaeological Park, we know numerous details of this high-end residential villa. Around the central peristyle, the first room investigated, which immediately became one of the symbols of the Park, was the mosaic of the Pelte, which was followed by that of the Lottatori and then that of the Pesci, all of which have undergone restoration over the years. The latter restoration in 2024 was the first performed here on a marble floor, carried out by the firm C.S.R. Restauro Beni Culturali of Rome.

The recently restored portion of the marble floor of the Prothyrum Villa in Baia's Sunken Park, in a shot by Edoardo Ruspantini
The recently restored portion of the marble floor of the Prothyrum Villa in the Sunken Park of Baia, in a shot by Edoardo Ruspantini
Riccardo Mancinelli of CSR Restauro Beni Culturali while working on the restoration of the marble floor of the Villa with prothyrum entrance, in the Sunken Park of Baia
Riccardo Mancinelli of CSR Restauro Beni Culturali while working on the restoration of the marble floor of the Villa with prothyrum entrance, in the Sunken Park of Baia
An orthophoto by Edoardo Ruspantini of the restored portion of the opus sectile floor at the Villa with prothyrum entrance, in the Sunken Park of Baia, with also a schematic of the geometry of the floor
An orthophoto by Edoardo Ruspantini of the restored portion of the opus sectile floor at the Villa with prothyrum entrance, in the Sunken Park of Baia, with also a schematic of the geometry of the floor
A shot of the opus sectile being excavated and restored at the Villa with prothyrum entrance. Photo by Edoardo Ruspantini
A shot of the opus sectile being excavated and restored at the Villa with prothyrum entrance. Photo by Edoardo Ruspantini

In the specific case of the floor restoration, were there any particularly difficult or significant moments? What unforeseen events can arise during the restoration of submerged artifacts?

The strong fragmentation, already originally, of the slabs made the work of the restorers very long and complex. Many slabs had completely lost adhesion with the substrate, so it was necessary to reassemble the pattern almost piece by piece. But this is almost the norm for an underwater restoration, which has to overcome far greater difficulties and contingencies than a “terrestrial” intervention. Beyond the organization of the site, with boats, tanks and specific equipment, at sea, currents, visibility and marine biology are added to complexify every action. By now, however, in the Underwater Park of Baia there is a great deal of experience, accumulated over more than 20 years of activity and also experimentation, which in particular the Central Institute of Restoration has carried out thanks to the “Restoring Underwater” project conceived by Roberto Petriaggi and carried out by Barbara Davidde.

Were exceptional measures taken to preserve the floor during the restoration phase?

As mentioned, with each excavation action, where slabs were still present in situ, immediate restoration was carried out. Other parts, where the floor had already been lost over the centuries, were also investigated. In particular, the part furthest back from the back apse of the room never received, over the centuries, the sufficient sandy cover that protects the slabs elsewhere. Thus about a quarter of the 250 m2 of the room is surely already lost, and today only the impressions left in the floor preparation have been investigated. As excavations continue, it will become clear how many portions of the floor are still well preserved.

The Phlegraean Fields are known for the phenomenon of bradyseism. Has the phenomenon contributed to the preservation of the submerged archaeological remains in the park or caused further damage to the artifacts?

Both. The submerged remains have been preserved through their sinking, but over the centuries, and even now, the action of the sea is destructive. Both with the currents and with the action of marine biology: so-called lithophagous beings, such as sea dates, for example, eat marble in the true sense of the word: if this is not covered by sand, in a few years it disappears completely. This is what happened to some of the statues, which lost only the part that leaked from the seabed while the other half is perfectly preserved.

Slabs found dislodged from the floor were collected in boxes and brought ashore, then desalinated in large freshwater basins
The slabs found detached from the floor were collected in boxes and brought ashore, then desalinated in large freshwater basins.
An attempt to recompose, in the laboratory ,the geometric pattern at the base of the floor being excavated and restored at the Villa with a prothyrum entrance
An attempt to recompose, in the laboratory ,the geometric pattern at the base of the floor being excavated and restored at the Villa with prothyrum entrance.
Some floor slabs clearly show traces of their reuse: this one in the photo is a pavonazetto marble slab first used as a pilaster, that is, as a flat column applied to a wall. In fact, grooves can be recognized: the slab was then put in place upside down, so that these would not be visible.
Some floor slabs clearly show traces of their reuse: this one in the photo is a pavonazetto marble slab first used as a pilaster, that is, as a flat column applied to a wall. In fact, grooves can be recognized: the slab was then put in place upside down, so that these would not be visible..
The remains of the collapsed walls, which fell directly onto the floor. Evidently, the floor must have still been surfaced or shallowly submerged when the collapse occurred.
The remains of the collapsed walls, which fell directly onto the floor. Evidently, the floor must have still been surfaced or slightly submerged when the collapse occurred.
In the collapse of the walls, you can still see the plaster that decorated them, which is now directly in contact with the marble floor slabs
In the collapse of the walls, one can still see the plaster that decorated them, which is now directly in contact with the marble slabs of the floor.
Another reused slab, this time in cipolin marble, with the grooves created for its first use as a pilaster clearly evident
Another reused slab, this time in cipollino marble, with the grooves created for its first use as a pilaster clearly evident.

Are there any other restorations currently underway within the park? Are there areas that are still unexplored or in need of special work?

Right now there is excavation and restoration work underway on another marble floor, again from the prothyrum villa, which we will report on shortly. But we are also working with excavations at Portus Julius, in Pozzuoli, where a large bath complex from the late Republican age is emerging.

Baia is often considered our Italian Atlantis. What features make the underwater park unique?

The vastness and level of preservation of the underwater remains, first and foremost. But also their management, with in situ restoration and opening to the public. These two aspects in particular have led the Baia Underwater Park to be the first Italian best practice recognized by UNESCO within the 2001 Convention for the Protection of the Underwater Cultural Heritage. An achievement reached in 2023 that certifies the validity of the path started in 2002 with the establishment of the Park itself.

What are the future expectations for the Baia Park? Are there any projects or initiatives planned to enhance the site?

Every year the Park opens two/three excavation and restoration sites in new areas. This year we have dedicated ourselves to the marble floors of the villa at Prothyrus, but we are also having many surprises, as mentioned, from Portus Julius. As soon as the picture is clear to us we will communicate, as always, all the news on our channels.


Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.