Projects: Geographical Overview
Socle zone of the Marble Hall, panorama
Gluing together of the plaque fragments
Naming of the 3rd consulate of Hadrian
Naming of the consulate of Cn. Arrius Augur
Dipinto naming C. Fl. Furius Aptus
To see more pictures, please click on one of the images shown here.
The Marble Hall of Terrace House 2
A restoration project sponsored by Borusan-Holding has as its goal the reapplication of the wall covering in the Marble Hall of Residential Unit 6 in Terrace House 2. The Marble Hall is a 178 m² dining hall, the walls of which were faced in three zones with marble revetment. Plaques of cipollino verde, cut out of one block and set up in mirror-image rows, constituted the socle zone; above this lay a zone articulated by pilasters, with framed pavonazetto plaques. A zone containing emblemata formed the upper termination, with decorative fields made of accurately cut opus sectile using a variety of coloured marbles. In particular, two fields with figural decoration should be highlighted here: these depict a lion’s head and a snake drinking from a kantharos, the snake entwined around a club. Even leaving aside the wall revetment, the room creates an impressive atmosphere: the floor was laid with marble plaques, a U-form mosaic band indicated the location of the klinai, while a fountain in the south wall as well as fountain positioned axially symmetrical to it in the front area of the room served to create a pleasant room climate. Furthermore, the ceiling of carved and gilded wood created the upper termination of this elaborately decorated hall. Of particular interest are the archaeological finds, which lay directly on the floor in a destruction layer of revetment plaques which were being prepared to be reattached. Additional plaques stood stacked against the wall; these also were waiting to be reapplied. The fine polishing as well as the corrosion impressions from dowels on the plaques, and the remains of dowels on the walls themselves, are clear indicators that repair work was being carried out, and not a new decoration scheme for the room. Supporting this interpretation is the stylistic classification of the decoration as well as inscriptions on the rear face of the pavonazetto revetment plaques, which mention the 3rd consulate of Emperor Hadrian in 119 A.D. and the consulate of Cnaeus Arrius Augur in the year 121 A.D., therefore providing a secure terminus post quem for the first application of the marble decoration. A painted dipinto in red, furthermore, names the commissioner, Caius Flavius Furius Aptus. He was the owner of Residential Unit 6 and is frequently attested in inscriptions.
There is now no doubt at all that the first decoration of the Marble Hall occurred during the Hadrianic period. Massive destruction in the first half of the 3rd century A.D. led to immediate work of renovation, which aimed to restore the luxurious marble revetment. A reapplication of the plaques, however, never took place; the reason for this was the seismic catastrophe in the third quarter of the 3rd century, when the Terrace House was destroyed and afterwards not rebuilt.
The restoration work encompasses on the one hand an inspection and categorisation of the entire find material, whereby ca. 120,000 fragments can be assigned to the decoration of the Marble Hall. Subsequently the plaques of the socle zone were glued together, supplemented with plaster, and by means of a reversible and movable rail system were mounted on the wall. Currently, the gluing of the middle zone is being worked on. The reapplication on the walls by means of dowel arrangements will be scientifically proven as well as statically and constructively tested. The restoration work enables, not least, essential statements regarding the offset technique of the marble facing, which should be discussed within the framework of a scholarly publication.
The goal of this project is not the complete reconstruction of the wall facing, which is actually not possible at all due to the fragmentation of the opus sectile fields; rather, the project aims at a well-founded, reversible partial application, based on a detailed investigation of the finds.
Financing