Konserwacja wielkich zabytków antycznych Rzymu w latach 1981-1987

Basing on the information compiled during his fellowship abroad, the author describes conservation work done on monuments of architecture of ancient Rome, belonging to two groups. The first of them covers large monuments in marble: columns, triumphal archs, and relics of temples. The work is done by teams of Bruno Zanardi (Trajan’s Column), Carlo Giantomassi (Constantine’s Arch), Roberto Nardi (Arch of Septimius Severus), Angelo and Marina Alessandri (Hadrianeum), Gianluigi Collalucci (Temple of Kastor and Polluks), Sabina Vedovello — CBC (Column of Marcus Aurelius), all of them supervised by Soprintendenza Archeologica di Roma and Istituto Centrale del Restauro. A long period of documentation and research work (5 years) allowed for a thorough analysis of conservation problems. One of the most important tasks was to identify "one colour’’ layers on the surface of the stone that played a protective function and contained calcium oxalate. Proper conservation work carried out since 1986 includes cleansing of the surface of marble (methods employed include nebulization, atomization, alkaline dressings, minute micro sand-blasting), consolidation (on a large scale by means of traditional lime technology and in some chosen places — acryl resins and esthers of silicon acid) as well as minor make-ups of the missing parts (based mainly on lime mortars). As yet no final decision has been taken up with regard to surface protection; still, the use of traditional or modified lime coatings gets more and more advocates. The second group of structures are ruins of large ancient structures, of which merely constructional bricked walls have been preserved. Conservation work done in recent years has covered, i.a., Baths of Diocletian, Baths of Caracallo, Colosseum, ruins of palace complexes of Palatine and the adjoining aqueduct, a temple of Roma and Venus. In the first place the work covered filling-up of bricked facings and makina of protective layers on the crowning of walls at the vaultings using traditional techniques and marking unobtrusively reconstructed places. The work discussed reflects characteristic changes in conservation practice: come-back to traditional technologies (following a period in which synthetic preparations dominated) and a proper appreciation a new of the role of protective layers. It seems that these trends will prevail in the coming years as well.