Abstract:

The conservation of mosaics unearthed at excavations is evaluated according to the conditions in which they were buried / found and is generally classified, in terms of low, medium, or high level of deterioration in the mosaics. If the mosaics remain in their location in their complete or almost complete form they are generally considered to be intact; on the other hand, mosaics which are disaggregated, crumbled, or have lost the unity in their design, whether in the tessellatum or in other structural layers, are evaluated as having suffered deterioration/damage at a low, medium, or high level, according to the degree of deterioration. As with all archaeological materials, in order to overcome problems that have arisen or new ones that may arise in the mosaics uncovered in excavations, and with the aim of stabilizing the structure, a series of effective or preventive conservation interventions have to be resorted to. While for mosaics that are intact mosaic conservation can be limited to essential preliminary treatment and taking the necessary measures for conservation, mosaics that have suffered deterioration can necessitate effective conservation that calls for efforts that increase proportionately to the degree of deterioration. At this point it is important that decisions for intervention be taken by competent people, that these decisions be correct and adequate, and that conservation and restoration be implemented by competent individuals using acknowledged methods. In this study preventive and effective conservation methods necessary for mosaics that need to be preserved in situ at archaeological sites are explained using concrete examples of practical implementation selected from our various experiences

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