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Rione X Campitelli in Roma in Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Latium, Rome, Italy — Central Italy (Tyrrhenian Coast)
 

Il Pavimento in Opus Sectile Della / The Opus Sectile Marble Floor

 
 
Il Pavimento in <i>Opus Sectile </i>Della / The <i>Opus Sectile</i> Marble Floor Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By James Hulse, June 29, 2023
1. Il Pavimento in Opus Sectile Della / The Opus Sectile Marble Floor Marker
Inscription.  Il Pavimento in Opus Sectile della Taberna della Basilica Emilia
In età tardo antica il lato settentrionale della Basilica Emilia, rivolto verso la piazza del Foro Romano, fu interessato da interventi di rifacimento successivi al sacco di Alarico del 410 d.C. tra i quali la ripavimentazione di alcuni ambienti esistenti. Uno di questi è stato restaurato a partire dal 2020: al di sotto di un interro protettivo è stato riportato in evidenza un pavimento in opus sectile marmoreo realizzato con marmi di reimpiego, bianchi e colorati, tra i quali il porfido verde greco, il porfido rosso e il giallo antico. Il pavimento è datato nel VI secolo d.C. e in origine doveva rivestire una superficie di circa 40 mq, di cui se ne conservano quasi i due terzi.

Esso presenta al centro un riquadro, campito da un motivo a cerchi intersecantisi, da cui risultano esagoni. Il motivo è bordato da una cornice con scacchiera di rombi di giallo antico e porfido verde greco. Ai lati del riquadro centrale si sviluppano due coppie di pannelli, ognuno dei quali contiene una scacchiera di quadrati di marmo bianco alternato a giallo
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antico e porfido verde greco, questi ultimi con un quadrato di marmo bianco o giallo antico inscritto diagonalmente. La fascia centrale è racchiusa sui lati anteriore posteriore da cinque pannelli. I due estremi, agli angoli dell'ambiente, sono rettangolari e si compongono di una lastra in giallo antico circondata da lastrine quadrate e rettangolari in marmi bianchi e venati. Tra i pannelli angolari sono compresi tre riquadri rettangolari, il maggiore dei quali è lungo quanto gli altri due e si affianca ad essi; essi contengono il motivo degli ottagoni affiancati, con quadrati di risulta in porfido verde greco.

In questo tipo di pavimento in opus sectile si riscontra l'uso tipicamente tardo antico di recuperare le lastre dei pavimenti marmorei di epoca precedente, ormai fratturate e sconnesse dall'usura e dal tempo. Il complesso disegno geometrico del pavimento è stato restaurato all'inizio del novecento da Giacomo Boni con un sistema all'avanguardia: le parti mancanti sono state integrate con mattonelle laterizie almeno due diverse tonalità cromatiche per riproporre il disegno originario.

L'intervento condotto dal PArCo tra il 2020 e il 2021 ha riguardato l'intera superficie dell'ambiente, sia quella restaurata dal Boni, sia quella originale. Sono state rimosse le lastre dal letto di posa, è stato effettuato l'incollaggio degli elementi fratturati, loro riposizionamento.
The Marble Floor and Marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By James Hulse, June 29, 2023
2. The Marble Floor and Marker
Al termine delle operazioni di ricollocazione, nelle loro posizioni originarie, le e successivamente il loro lastre sono state pulite e stuccate in superficie. Le aree di lacuna sono state reintegrate con malte idrauliche idonee per granulometria e colorazione. Grazie a questo intervento il pavimento è ora di nuovo restituito alla vista e inserito nel ciclo di manutenzione ordinaria.

Didascalie
Scansiona il Qrcode per approfondire il percorso di visita dei pavimenti a mosaico e in opus sectile del ParCo
Credit photo: Watercolour drawing by Maria Barosso (1899-1900). Archive of Parco archeologico del Colosseo


English:
The Opus Sectile Marble Floor of the Taberna of the Basilica Emilia
In late antiquity, the northern side of the Basilica Emilia, facing the Roman Forum square, was rebuilt after the sack of Alaric in 410 AD, including the repaving of some existing rooms. One of these has been under restoration since 2020: under a protective layer, an opus sectile marble floor made of reused white and coloured marbles, including Greek green porphyry, red porphyry and giallo antico marble, has been brought to light. The floor is dated to the 6th century AD and originally covered an area of about 40 square metres, of which almost two-thirds remains.

In the centre of the floor
The Marker looking toward the east image. Click for full size.
Photographed By James Hulse, June 29, 2023
3. The Marker looking toward the east
there is a square with a pattern of intersecting circles, from which hexagons emerge. The motif is bordered by a frame with a chessboard of lozenges in giallo antico marble and Greek green porphyry. On either side of the central area are two pairs of panels, each containing a square checkerboard of white marble alternating with giallo antico marble and Greek green porphyry, the latter with a square of white or giallo antico marble on the diagonal. The central band is enclosed on the front and back sides by five panels. The two ends, at the corners of the room, are rectangular and consist of a slab of giallo antico surrounded by square and rectangular slabs of white and veined marbles. Between the corner panels are three rectangular squares, the largest of which is as long as the other two and is flanked by them; they contain the motif of octagons flanked by squares of green Greek porphyry.

In this type of opus sectile floor, one finds the typically late antique practice of recovering the slabs of marble floors of the previous period, now fractured and disconnected by wear and time.

The complex geometric design of the floor was restored in the early 20th century by Giacomo Boni using an innovative system: the missing parts were supplemented with brick tiles of at least two different colour shades to recreate the original design.

The work carried
The front view of the Marker from across the Basilica Emilia courtyard image. Click for full size.
Photographed By James Hulse, June 29, 2023
4. The front view of the Marker from across the Basilica Emilia courtyard
out by PArCo between 2020 and 2021 focused on the entire surface, both the one restored by Boni and the original one. The slabs were removed from their base, the fractured elements were bonded and then repositioned. At the end of the repositioning operations, in their original positions, the slabs were cleaned and plastered on the surface. The areas where there were gaps were filled in with hydraulic mortars of a suitable grain size and colour. Thanks to this intervention, the floor has now been returned to view and included in the ordinary maintenance cycle.

Captions
Credit foto: Disegno acquarellato di Maria Barosso (1899-1900). Archivio Parco archeologico del Colosseo
Scan the Qrcode to learn more about the itinerary of the mosaic and opus sectile floors of the PArCo

 
Erected 2021 by PArCo Archeologico del Colosseo.
 
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & ArchaeologyArchitecture. A significant historical year for this entry is 410 CE.
 
Location. 41° 53.547′ N, 12° 29.178′ E. Marker is in Roma, Lazio (Latium, Rome), in Città metropolitana di Roma Capitale. It is in Rione X Campitelli. Marker is on L.go della Salara Vecchia, 0.1 kilometers south of Via dei Fori Imperiali when traveling west. The marker is located
Closeup of the Marble Floor by the marker image. Click for full size.
Photographed By James Hulse, June 29, 2023
5. Closeup of the Marble Floor by the marker
west of the San Lorenzo Church in the Roman Forum at the Basilica Emilia ruins. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Roma, Lazio 00186, Italy. Touch for directions.
 
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Basilica Aemilia Entablature / Trabeazione (within shouting distance of this marker); Tabernae at the Front of the Basilica Aemilia (within shouting distance of this marker); Roman Forum (within shouting distance of this marker); Roman Forum. History of the Excavations (within shouting distance of this marker); a different marker also named Roman Forum (within shouting distance of this marker); Altar of Caesar / Ara di Cesare (within shouting distance of this marker); Forum Square (within shouting distance of this marker); Tempio del Divo Giulio / Temple of Caesar (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Roma.
 
More about this marker. The marker is located in the Parco Archeologico del Colosseo (Roman Forum Archaeological Park) and it does require an entry fee to visit.
 
Also see . . .  Camminare sulla Storia. Mosaici e pavimenti in marmo nel Foro Romano e del Palatino. PArCo (Submitted on November 23, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.) 
 
Additional keywords. Il Pavimento in Opus Sectile Della / The Opus Sectile Marble Floor
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Credits. This page was last revised on November 24, 2023. It was originally submitted on November 22, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas. This page has been viewed 439 times since then and 99 times this year. Photos:   1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on November 23, 2023, by James Hulse of Medina, Texas.

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Apr. 28, 2024