87-110

Restoration work in the Philippi theatre

• Καραδέδος, Γεώργιος
• Κουκούλη - Χρυσανθάκη, Χάιδω

The restoration work in the Philippi theatre began in 1997. In that year, the E retaining wall and the small strainer arch were restored, and in 1998, the large strainer arch. In 1999, we began to draw up a project for restoring the skene building and the walls of the parodoi.The E retaining wall belongs to the original construction phase, which dates to the reign of Philip II. During the long period when the theatre was abandoned and after the large strainer arch collapsed, a large section of the retaining wall collapsed. We identified 76 ashlars among those that had been uncovered during the 1984-7 excavation, and these were replaced in their original positions, after the retaining wall had first been relieved of the thrust of the earth fill behind it.All the voussoirs of the small strainer arch survive. However, when one of them was removed in an attempt at despoliation, the other voussoirs slipped and the arch was distorted. The shape of the arch was restored by returning the voussoirs to their original positions and replacing the missing one.The excavation yielded 18 voussoirs from the large strainer arch. Of these, 5 pairs were identified, on the basis of a number of factors, and placed in their correct order.Two alternatives were proposed for restoring the arch. The one which was approved by the Central Archaeological Council proposed reconstructing the 2 missing pairs of voussoirs, and placing 4 of the 5 identified pairs upon them. Since the entire arch cannot be restored, the replaced voussoirs are protected from the risk of slipping, turning, and toppling by using vertical titanium clamps and by anchoring them with stainless steel plates in the new masonry, which, maintaining the vital distinction between old and new, continues the existing masonry behind the arch upwards.The ruinous condition and the large number of construction phases of the skene building and the parodoi, which has resulted in a jumble of successive mud walls and earthen floors concealing well-preserved details of phase 1, gives a picture of disorderly confusion and makes it difficult for the average visitor to understand the building.Broadly speaking, the restoration project proposes the following interventions.1) Removal of the later mud walls, which are an affront to the building and hinder a reading of it, while selectively retaining certain features that are worth preserving and which offer evidence of the monument’s historical dimension.2) Replacement of the floors of the first phase. Particularly with regard to the restoration of the floor of the S parados, it is considered essential to reconstruct part of the dismantled wall of the parados up to a certain height.3) Replacement (restoration) of architectural members in their original position. Particularly with regard to the relief slabs, the originals will be displayed in the museum because they are at risk of damage and theft, and copies of them will be installed in the building.4) Minor restorations to walls, intended to protect the underlying authentic masonry, to make it possible to replace architectural members in their original positions, and to restore the form of half-ruined elements, such as archways, to facilitate a better reading of the building.For the time being, until the excavations are finished, the entrance to the theatre is deemed to be on the road built during the Ottoman period.

• History and Archaeology

• Αρχαιολογία

συντήρηση και αποκατάσταση, θέατρα, Φίλιπποι

Περιέχει εικόνες και σχέδια