Survey
The method used to produce a plan of the floors was a combination of topographical reference points and photographs. The surface of the floor was divided into quadrants, each of which was photographed. The camera was mounted on a metal structure, and the photographs were taken with the camera on axis with the centre of each quadrant and always the same distance from the ground. The images were printed to a scale of 1:25 and the final plan was produced using a combination of the topographical reference points and the scale photographs.
Mosaics. Graphic representation
The graphic representation of the mosaics, which was based on a detailed survey of the surviving sections, shows that the geometrical compositions in the mosaic floors are independent entities, characterised by chromatic harmony and a careful selection of the decorative motifs.
Opus segmentatum. Graphic representation
In the 5th century, the floor of the west and the south stoa, from the marble steps to the north-west gate, was covered with a new floor. Marble slabs along the centre were flanked by opus sectile forming simple geometrical motifs.
Condition
Already in bad condition when they were excavated in 1962–3, the mosaics deteriorated further by being exposed to the elements. The most serious problems were that: the substratum had cracked and subsided, owing to the collapse of the monument and the composition of the soil; the mortar had disintegrated; and the tesserae had flaked, become detached, and suffered biological changes. It was decided to address these problems by lifting the mosaics and replacing them on a new substratum.
