W. Kolataj & USAID's Seifalla Hasanein by an excavated mosaic

Item Overview

Title

W. Kolataj & USAID's Seifalla Hasanein by an excavated mosaic

Photographer

Vincent, Robert

Date Created

October 13, 1998

Date

1998-10-13

Collection

Villa of the Birds Mosaic Conservation

Series

Mosaic A5
Early Roman Villa
Conservation work in progress
Mosaic A2

Program

International Digital Ephemera Project

Notes

Note

Located in the north-eastern corner of the villa, the motif of mosaic A2, executed in opus tessellatum technique, was one of the most popular ornaments found on Roman mosaic floors in Egypt. In this instance, the pattern was arranged with big tesserae of irregular shape and roughly cut. A coin of Hadrian’s reign was found under this floor. Project staff succeeded in uncovering the previously unexplored central fragment and north-western corner of this mosaic. Briefly, the state of the mosaic can be summarized with: tesserae loss along the borders, 15% of the original surface missing, small lacunae filled with cement in the 70s, distorted and sagged surface,and bedding mortar weakened. Some conservation measures included: mechanical/chemical cleaning of the surface; removal of cement infillings (70s intervention); reintegration of lacunae, reconstruction of edges; and stabilization of some areas.

Statement of Responsibility

At the heart of modern Alexandria in Kom el-Dikka lies an exceptional demonstration of Domestic architecture during the Roman Imperial period. The Early Roman villa named “Villa of the Birds” houses exceptionally well preserved mosaic floors, made of tesserae. True to its name, it contains Mosaic a-5 which depicts different bird species within seven different panels. Under the auspices of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Dr. Wojciech Kolataj and his team conserved the mosaic floors, constructed a shelter, and landscaped the surrounding area. Some related supplemental work was carried out by the Polish-Egyptian Preservation Mission, and sponsored jointly by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (currently the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) and the Polish Center of Archaeology. Conservation work was made possible with the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (formerly the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities).

Keywords

Genre

color slides
color photographs

Subject Geographic

Alexandria, Egypt
Al Iskandarīyah

Subject Temporal

Early Roman Empire

Resource type

still image

Subjects

Domestic architecture
Floral motifs
Art, Greco-Roman

work site
Flooring
personnel
Mosaics
conservation (process)