Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Perched above the rooftops in the center of Rome, restorers on Thursday used laser beams to clean a marble column in the piazza outside the prime minister’s office, removing layers of dust and dirt. Roman Memorials over the decades.
The 47-metre (154-foot) tall column, which was built between 180 and 193 AD, features a relief that spirals upwards and describes the battle of Marcus Aurelius, one of Rome’s most famous emperors. During the column’s last restoration, in the 1980s, restorers used small brushes to remove dirt.
To get a rare, up-close look at the restoration, a group of journalists trekked up 16 levels of scaffolding – although their numbers progressively diminished as those afraid of heights turned back.
“The laser gives us excellent results,” said Marta Baumgartner, director of restoration operations. “It works faster and, above all, allows a great respect for the material – for the marble and for the layers of the surface.”
Ancient artists did not shy away from gruesome descriptions of war. As the relief turns upward, it shows soldiers dragging women by their hair with children. Mutilated enemies are lying on the ground, horses are following in the heat of battle and prisoners of war are seen looking frightened with their necks tied together.
In addition to the introduction of short-pulse lasers, the group of 18 restorers use chemical cleaners, sponges and resin to remove dirt from the mist. Italian Filling and caulking of holes formed by freezing and expansion of water inside during cold weather. The monument has also suffered from erosion which has caused some of the faces of the carved figures to be eroded away.
Creating a vertical construction site around a fragile pillar that was chiseled two millennia ago was a challenge.
The wide, square scaffolding around it provides the restorers with the space they need to work comfortably. They can step back and look at the shapes, which become increasingly larger in the column – a technique for making them more visible from the ground.
“It was a way to force the person who saw it to read the story,” said Valentin Nietu, a restorer who worked on the project. “It really draws the audience into it, seeing it step by step, scene by scene with really amazing detail.”
The 2 million euro ($2.3 million) restoration has been funded by the European Recovery Fund after the pandemic, and includes a new system to illuminate the column at night. Work Restoration began in April and is expected to finish in June.