Bird Mosaic During Conservation (1998-10) by Robert K. VincentAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The Test of Time
The delicate mosaics of this villa, located in the early Roman site of Kom e-Dikka of Alexandria, Egypt, have survived for almost two millennia.
Opus Sectile in Room 3 Before Conservation (1998-07) by Edwin C. BrockAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
However, dirt and debris, groundwater, erosion, and human intervention began to destroy the mosaics which risked disappearing forever.
Conservator Cleaning the Bird Mosaics (1998-10) by Robert K. VincentAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
To preserve this unique example of early roman domestic architecture, the American Research Center in Cairo (ARCE) initiated a project to clean and restore this ancient villa and magnificent mosaics.
Construction of the Shelter (1998-10) by Robert K. VincentAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
From the start, the project team knew it was important to preserve the mosaics in their original context and location.
Installation of Roof Panels (1998-12) by Edwin C. BrockAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
To keep the restored mosaics safe and allow visitors to view them in their original context, they also had to address practical considerations at the site, including constructing a shelter with wooden walkway inside, and adding signage and landscaping.
Shelter During Construction (1999-02) by Robert K. VincentAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The Life of a Villa
First, the archaeologists had to excavate to uncover and clean the floors. Remember that houses were not just used for a one period of time, there were often expanded, rebuilt, and adapted over generations.
One of the challenges for archaeologists is to understand what parts were original and what was built later, and what materials had been removed and reused. The mosaic floors were probably installed in 2nd century AD, based on coins discovered between layers of the floor.
Roman Pottery (1999-02) by Robert K. VincentAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
Surprise Finds
Excavation also uncovered artefacts from the 3rd and 4th century, including cooking vessels, pottery, imported amphora, lamps, and coins.
Conservator Cleaning the Bird Mosaics (1998-10) by Robert K. VincentAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
The villa had been excavated in the 1970's, but they didn't have the funding to restore the mosaics so they were reburied for protection. They used mechanical cleaning to remove dust and soil, and chemical cleaning to take off the protective layer applied in the 1970s.
Fragments of the mosaic were collected, cleaned, and sorted by category and origin.
Tesserae Prepared for Reconstruction (1998-08) by Jaroslaw DobrowolskiAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
displaced fragments back in original position and holes were filled with marble pieces from the debris
Bird Mosaic after Restoration (2006-12) by Edwin C. BrockAmerican Research Center In Egypt (ARCE)
After restoration, the fragments were put back in their original position with fixed support.
The Villa of the Birds Today
Discover More:
Villa of the Birds Mosaics
Can You Name These Birds?
There's No Place Like Home
Kom el Dikka
Stroll Through the Villa of the Birds
The conservation of the Villa of the Birds was carried out from February 1998 to June 1999 financed by ARCE, through the Egyptian Antiquities Project (EAP), and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Supplemental work including landscaping and construction of visitors’ roads was carried out by Polish Egyptian Preservation Mission sponsored jointly by the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities and the Polish Center of Archeology. Read more at arce.org.
Story Created by Tessa Litecky, ARCE
