Gortys, “Terme a Sud del Pretorio” : conservative Intervention to the sectile in the frigidarium and a new temporary protecting and covering system

Since 2014 a large work has been carried out by the team of the University of Milan, under the scientific direction of prof. Giorgio Bejor, in cooperation with the Italian Archaeological School at Athens (SAIA), the local Eforia at Gortys and professional restorers from Soprintendenza Speciale per il Colosseo, il Museo Nazionale Romano e l’Area Archeologica di Roma (Italia), in order to clean and consolidate the sectile pavement of the frigidarium in the “Terme a Sud del Pretorio” in Gortys. It’s worth remembering that it deals with a very wide (approximately a 100 square metres area) marble floor made up of rectangular carpets of geometrical patterns created with coloured recycled marble tiles ( more details in C. Lambrugo et Alii, Gortys, “Terme a Sud del Pretorio”. Observations on the main phases of the building ten years on from the beginning of the excavations, in P. Karanastasi, A. Tzigounaki, C. Tsigonaki (a cura di), 3rd Meeting for the Archaeological Work in Crete (Rethymno 2013), Rethymno 2015, pp. 553-563). The present paper aims to present the results of the conservative intervention, but further more to suggest and discuss a ‘new’ temporary covering and protecting system for mosaics and sectilia. As well known actually, after the conservative works the temporary covering (‘non-woven textile’ for example) often remains in situ for too long, causing some damages to the covered archaeological structures (fertile growth of plants and vegetation, strong adhesion of the textile with the substrate and consequently the impossibility of removing the tissue without damaging the mosaics). The paper draws attention to a different solution in temporary covering system of mosaics and sectilia (easy to put and remove, waterproof, transpiring, UV resistant and cheap too), so a good solution to face the waiting for definitive protecting covers, which are very often put off for economic problems.