DOI issue:
Egypt
DOI article:Majcherek, Grzegorz: Kom el-Dikka: excavation and preservation work, 2005/2006
DOI Page / Citation link:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.42092#0041
ALEXANDRIA
EGYPT
wide) was robbed out in a characteristic
manner, already evidenced at the site: little
if anything remained of the pillars, while
the extant screening walls were in very
poor condition. These were treated first,
consolidating the core of the wall and
restoring the masonry facing wherever
necessary. The rebuilding operation
entailed also some protective dismantling
of adjacent extant parts in order to deal
with dangerously overhanging blocks. The
dismantled wall sections were duly marked
and stored for reassembly once the
rebuilding has been completed.
The new wall footing was made
structurally sound and the whole wall was
rebuilt to about 1.60 m above the floor
level of the adjacent Early Roman villa.
The operation will be continued next
season when the wall is planned to be
restored to a final height of close to 5 m.
STREET R4
Street R4 and the adjoining domestic
quarter is planned as an essential part of the
future Archaeological Park. The idea is to
present the multiphase character of the area
with its various structures covering a wide
span from the Early Roman to the
Byzantine age. The street itself, giving also
access to the Villa of the Birds housing
Roman mosaics, will constitute a major part
of the visitors itinerary. The 2006 operation
entailed not only landscaping, but also
substantial conservation work {Fig. 10}.
The street elevation for a stretch of some
40 m was treated. Badly eroded stones were
replaced with new ones, missing joints
restored and the whole structure thoroughly
consolidated. A considerable section of the
wall enclosing rooms G 2-3, originally
structured in the pillar technique like many
other features of the period, was restored to
a height of some 1.10 m in order to comply
visually with other extant walls. Next, the
row of antique shops uncovered in front of
House G was partially restored. The shops
had been found almost entirely dismantled,
save for small sections of the walls in the
southern part (Majcherek 2000: 37-38).
Only one course of the original masonry was
restored, however, in an effort to retain the
balance between restored and original fabric.
The whole run of the street was cleared
and the Late Roman surface exposed.
A deep manhole used to service the ancient
sewage system in the street was
consolidated and partly restored. The head
was built in new stone masonry,
protruding c. 0.30 m above the ground
level and secured with a wooden cover to
avoid any hazards. The whole run of the
street was then covered with a gravel layer
c. 0.10 m thick. In order to cope with the
increasing number of visitors, a modern
staircase previously built at the southern
end of the street (Kokitaj 1999: 24 and
Fig. 11), was substantially expanded. Two
more runs of steps were added and the
whole width enlarged to about 6 m.
REFERENCES
Kofftaj, W.
1992 Imperial Baths at Kom el-Dikka, Alexandrie VI, Varsovie
1994 Polish-Egyptian restoration mission at Kom el-Dikka, Alexandria, 1992-93, PAM V
[=Reports 1993}, 5-10
39
EGYPT
wide) was robbed out in a characteristic
manner, already evidenced at the site: little
if anything remained of the pillars, while
the extant screening walls were in very
poor condition. These were treated first,
consolidating the core of the wall and
restoring the masonry facing wherever
necessary. The rebuilding operation
entailed also some protective dismantling
of adjacent extant parts in order to deal
with dangerously overhanging blocks. The
dismantled wall sections were duly marked
and stored for reassembly once the
rebuilding has been completed.
The new wall footing was made
structurally sound and the whole wall was
rebuilt to about 1.60 m above the floor
level of the adjacent Early Roman villa.
The operation will be continued next
season when the wall is planned to be
restored to a final height of close to 5 m.
STREET R4
Street R4 and the adjoining domestic
quarter is planned as an essential part of the
future Archaeological Park. The idea is to
present the multiphase character of the area
with its various structures covering a wide
span from the Early Roman to the
Byzantine age. The street itself, giving also
access to the Villa of the Birds housing
Roman mosaics, will constitute a major part
of the visitors itinerary. The 2006 operation
entailed not only landscaping, but also
substantial conservation work {Fig. 10}.
The street elevation for a stretch of some
40 m was treated. Badly eroded stones were
replaced with new ones, missing joints
restored and the whole structure thoroughly
consolidated. A considerable section of the
wall enclosing rooms G 2-3, originally
structured in the pillar technique like many
other features of the period, was restored to
a height of some 1.10 m in order to comply
visually with other extant walls. Next, the
row of antique shops uncovered in front of
House G was partially restored. The shops
had been found almost entirely dismantled,
save for small sections of the walls in the
southern part (Majcherek 2000: 37-38).
Only one course of the original masonry was
restored, however, in an effort to retain the
balance between restored and original fabric.
The whole run of the street was cleared
and the Late Roman surface exposed.
A deep manhole used to service the ancient
sewage system in the street was
consolidated and partly restored. The head
was built in new stone masonry,
protruding c. 0.30 m above the ground
level and secured with a wooden cover to
avoid any hazards. The whole run of the
street was then covered with a gravel layer
c. 0.10 m thick. In order to cope with the
increasing number of visitors, a modern
staircase previously built at the southern
end of the street (Kokitaj 1999: 24 and
Fig. 11), was substantially expanded. Two
more runs of steps were added and the
whole width enlarged to about 6 m.
REFERENCES
Kofftaj, W.
1992 Imperial Baths at Kom el-Dikka, Alexandrie VI, Varsovie
1994 Polish-Egyptian restoration mission at Kom el-Dikka, Alexandria, 1992-93, PAM V
[=Reports 1993}, 5-10
39