After the excavations had been completed in 1971 and the City Council had landscaped Navarinou Square, the archaeological work had to stop, owing to lack of funds. The small-scale consolidation projects carried out in the 1970s were not enough to protect the ruins from weathering and deterioration caused by various agencies, natural, chemical, and biological, but most notably water. This, together with the fact that sections of the masonry had already been destroyed in the ancient period, meant that the monuments had lost their morphological coherence, making it difficult for the general public to ‘read’ them.
Diagnosing the problem – The causes of deterioration
The various forms of weathering (which is termed ‘pathology’) suffered by the materials ― mortar, bricks, stones ― and the extent of the damage are recorded in detail, because it is vital to note down and assess the damage in order to decide how best to slow the process down. This stage of project is accompanied by laboratory tests and on-the-spot investigations using non-destructive methods to determine the composition and the mechanical characteristics of the materials.
The lacunae
One of the major problems encountered in restoring monuments and works of art is how to deal with the ruined parts, or lacunae as they are called. A lacuna in a work of art is defined as a relatively large area of the surface in which morphological coherence has been interrupted or definitively lost. In the case of mosaics, a lacuna is any loss (great or small) of tesserae; in architecture, partial or total destruction of individual features or parts of a building.
The interventions carried out in 1970
Various steps were taken to protect the ruins in 1970. They involved reconstructing masonry (without, however, marking off the new sections), pointing with strong cement mortar, and eliminating construction phases in order to restore the original form.
