Rome
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Vivid scenes of battlefield decapitations and feminine prisoners dragged off by their hair, carved into the 1,840-year-old marble Column of Marcus Aurelius towering over central Rome, are being introduced again into focus by a $2.3 million laser restoration.
A workforce of 18 specialist restorers has been working for the reason that spring of 2025, utilizing handheld short-pulse lasers and chemical wraps to take away centuries of grime from the 100-foot-tall monument. The column was constructed between 180 CE, the yr the Roman philosopher-emperor Marcus Aurelius died, and 193 CE.
The venture marks probably the most in depth use of laser know-how ever undertaken on an historical monument, in response to the chief restorer, Marta Baumgartner, who mentioned the choice got here regardless of the associated fee.
“The laser is a tool that is producing excellent results in restoration work, and the choice we made was to use it on the entire external frieze, the decorative band, of the column,” Baumgartner instructed reporters granted uncommon entry to the 16-levels of scaffolding surrounding the monument.
“It costs more than traditional methods.” But it’s “a method that delivers better restoration results, including in terms of timing.”
She additionally mentioned the know-how helps protect the monument’s integrity. “But above all, it ensures respect for the material, the marble itself. It has fully guaranteed respect for the material and for the patinas, which are evidence of the stone’s natural aging.”
Restorers are eradicating in depth black and grey deposits, filling cracks, repairing breaks and addressing marble erosion attributable to a long time of publicity to smog, rain and wind. They have additionally discovered that unsuitable supplies utilized in Nineteenth-century restorations compromised the delicate Carrara marble. Those supplies are actually being eliminated.
The column is without doubt one of the few Roman-era battle monuments nonetheless standing in its authentic location. It’s positioned in entrance of the Palazzo Chigi, the official residence of Italy’s prime minister, construct in 1562, linking historical Rome with the trendy state.
Spiral friezes depicting the Roman Empire’s wars underneath Aurelius wrap 23 occasions across the monument, forming a steady narrative from base to summit. Plaster casts made in 1955 are displayed within the Museum of Roman Civilization within the Italian capital and stay an vital useful resource for students.
The tower is made up of 18 marble drums carved with greater than 2,000 figures, together with troopers, prisoners, gods and animals. There’s even a scene of divine intervention within the type of a deluge of rainfall. Marcus Aurelius seems repeatedly. While the scenes are troublesome to discern from the bottom, they’re putting at shut vary.
In 1589, the unique statue of Marcus Aurelius on prime of the column was changed with a bronze statue of St. Paul. A later restoration within the Nineteen Eighties, used unsuitable supplies, now eliminated. The sq. across the column was closed after a 2013 assassination try focusing on guards at Palazzo Chigi and solely reopened in 2023.
The laser restoration is scheduled for completion in early 2026.