ARCHAEOLOGY always has a certain element of surprise and luck connected to it, for it is unpredictable to divine what lies directly under the surface upon which one is standing. So it was in the 1980s east of the Roman theater in Corinth. The American School of Classical Studies at Athens decided to investigate the unexplored fields lying east of the theater, if for no other reason than to make the area more attractive to tourists interested in visiting the site.
As was expected, beneath a heavy cover of weeds, rocks, and earthquake debris that had accumulated over the centuries, standing walls started to reveal themselves. Careful excavation of fallen plaster lying on the floor of the rooms and a few clinging bits on the walls started to define themselves as decoration similar to frescoes known from Pompeii and other Roman sites along the Bay of Naples—an indication that suggested the fresco debris definitely needed to be investigated.
The obvious next move to be made was to find a skilled team of Italian conservators who were familiar with the materials and techniques involved in the project. A team of about 16 professionals from Rome’s Centro di Conservazione Archeologica, led by Roberto Nardi, is now working on the Corinthian frescoes.
The group has been contracted for a six-year period to complete the work. It is hoped that the numerous Corinthian column capitals now being restored will find their correct positions in supporting the egg and dart epistyle as originally designed. Other daunting feats also lie before the team, such as restoring figures that are missing whole areas of body and dress.
One unsuspected reason for the Roman Fresco Project’s complexity is the fact that the wall frescoes recovered in the excavations of the 1980s appear to be composed of more wall decoration than walls upon which to put them. It is such problems that, when they come to light, make a sometimes tedious job really fascinating.
Left: Corinthian column capitals.
Charles K. Williams, II, Field Director of the Roman Fresco Project, was Director of the Corinth Excavations from 1966 to 1977, where he continues as Director Emeritus. Dr. Williams is also a Consulting Scholar in the Penn Museum’s Mediterranean Section.