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ALEXANDRIA
EGYPT
backwallwerelargelydismantled.Nextto
theauditoriumwallasmallpatchofthe
porticopavementwascleared.Asinthe
southernsectionnearthetheater,itwas
madeoflargelimestoneslabssetinashy
mortar.Themostinterestingfind,however,
wasmadewhileclearingtheadjacentsec-
tionofthestylobate.Quiteunexpectedly,
amarblebase(columnno.35)cametolight
insitu.Thebasehadsubsidedsubstantially
duetosevererobbingoffoundationsin
antiquityandisnowsome0.60mlower
withregardtotheoriginallevelofthe
stylobateintheTheaterPortico.
PRESERVATIONWORK
Theminimum-interventionapproachem-
ployedforthepastfewyearsisinkeeping
withinternationalpreservationprocedures
andregulations,andplacesemphasison
preservationratherthanreconstruction.
Limitedrebuildingisundertakenonly
whenabsolutelyessentialforstructuralor
integrationreasons,e.g.reconstructionof
foundationsormissingpartsofwalls.All
the
materials
used
in
preservation
(limestone
blocks,
bricks,
lime-sand
mortars,etc.)areindividuallyadaptedto
theconditionofparticularstructures.The
useoforiginalstonematerialretrievedfrom
excavationsispreferred.
THEATERPORTICO
Inthefirstofthreeareaswherework
continuedthisseason,intheTheater
Portico,twomorecolumnswereraised.
Thesouthernone(no.10)infrontofthe
Theater(approximatelyathirdofthe
originalheightpreserved)wasmountedon
amarblebasesurvivinghere.Athirdof
thisbasehadtoberestoredinartificial
stonemadeofgroundmarblemixedwith
whitecementandsomesand(thevolume
ratio:13:6:1).Thesurfaceofthecastpart
wasworkedwithatoothchiseltogiveit
atexturecloselyrecallingtheoriginal
marblebases.
Anothercolumn(completeshaftofgray
granite)wasraisedattheveryendofthe
Portico,markingthefarendofthestruc-
turewithinthelimitsofthesite.The
column(no.38)hadlainexposedforalong
timeanditsuppersurfacehadbeganto
flakeasaresultofhightemperaturesand
rainwaterpenetration.Thecolumnwas
subjectedtoconservationtreatmentap-
pliedalreadyinthe1992/93seasonby
T.Kołątaj:PARALOIDB-72dilutedin
toluene(10%solution)tofillthecrevices
andPARALOID-marblemixtureputty(1:5)
tocompletelossesandlargercrevices.9)
Thecolumnwasraisedbycraneandtop-
pedwithacapital.Themissingbasewas
replacedwithanewonecutfromalime-
stoneblock.
Althoughtheporticofoundationsin
thesouthernsectionwerefoundtobe
generallyquitewellpreserved,some
limitedrestorationprovednecessary.Spot
damagestothestylobate,resultingmostly
frommedievalgravedigging,werere-
paired.Twogaps,notexceeding2meach,
werecompletedwithnewstonesbondedin
limemortar.
Therestorationofthemassiveportico
backwall,whichwasc.1.55mwide,was
oneofthemostimportantoperations
undertakenthisyear.Twosectionsofthe
9)Cf.W.Kołątaj,PAMIV,Reports1992(1993),7-10.
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