The Conservation of the Mosaic Floor of Swaifieh Church, Amman, Jordan (original) (raw)
Related papers
The sixth-century mosaic floor of the church of saints Cosmas and Damianus was first unearthed by Yale University in 1929. Since then, it has been exposed to the elements, which nourished the growth of algae, mosses and lichens, affecting both the aesthetic value and the state of the mosaics. During conservation work conducted in 2005, the careful study of the mosaics revealed several intervention and conservation methods applied to them from approximately the seventh to the 21" century. The paper will discuss the different conversations the mosaic floor has undergone. Namely, the causes and the effects of each of the interventions, which show the chronological evolution of mosaic restoration through time, the technologies and materials used, and the process of identifying, mapping and documenting these interventions.
IN SITU MOSAIC CONSERVATION: A CASE STUDY FROM KHIRBET YAJUZ, JORDAN
2014
The methodology for the conservation of the mosaic floor of the byzantine bath in Khirbet Yajuz in Jordan is presented. The mosaic was discovered in 1998, and needed urgent protection measures. Both optical investigation and analytical examination of mosaic samples were carried out by stereo optical microscopy and XRD, and both revealed that the tessellatum (Mosaic surface) was subjected to intensive deterioration aspects such as deposited encrustation, salt efflorescence, cracking, surface pitting, discoloration and biological growth. The performed conservation activities included documenting the mosaic by photographs and drawings in scale 1:1; reinforcing the mosaic edges and the preparatory layers with lime mortar; mechanical and chemical cleaning; filling the small lacunae; surface coating using Paraloid B72 ; reburial of the mosaic by sand to avoid the environmental factors, and herbicide application to prevent plants intrusion.
Training on the conservation of mosaics in countries where academic programs in archaeological conservation are not currently available is largely depended on short training courses which are usually organized by international organizations or other cultural or educational institutions. The General Directorate of Museum and Antiquities of Syria has initiated a series of international cooperation programs aiming at the training of Syrian conservators and the establishment of state-ofthe-art conservation laboratories in order to meet the ever increasing needs of the especially rich cultural heritage of Syria. One of these cooperation training programs, undertaken by the European Center for Byzantine and Post Byzantine Monuments of Greece (E.K.B.M.M.) at the Archaeological Museum of Hama in central Syria focuses on the conservation lifted mosaics, aiming at the recovery of the numerous mosaics that have accumulated in the storages of the Syrian Museums over the years. Establishing of a mosaic conservation laboratory and training on mosaic conservation theory and practice were the major goals of the program. This paper presents the objectives of this program and discusses the methodology and the structure of the training course.
The case of the North-West Church in Hippos-Sussita, Israel represents an excellent example of practical and scholarly cooperation of archaeologists and conservators working simultaneously on an archeological site with mosaic floors. The exploration of the church began in 2000 and was completed by 2009. Mosaic floors have been revealed in the nave of the church, the aisles and accompanying rooms of the church complex. Very specific characteristics of the site, the project and local conditions entailed and revealed a wide range of conservation issues and problems of logistical and technical nature. Time for conservation interventions was limited to a four week season of archaeological works. The acts of discovery were immediately followed by conservation treatments. Since the site is not yet open to the public and was being abandoned for 11 months of the year, all discovered mosaics had to be thoroughly protected for this period of time from environmental factors as well as a large number of curious sightseers visiting the area on their own. A significant contribution to this project was the documentation of the state of preservation of the mosaics, the techniques of execution as well as their iconographical traits. Prepared with the application of advanced digital methods, it turned out to be essential for the understanding of relative chronology of the mosaics and the history of the whole North-West Church complex. Since the exploration is completed, the church requires a long scale plan of managing and a permanent exhibition of the mosaics to the public in their architectural context which would allow them to speak on the site’s history.
Mosaics make a site: ICCM triennal International Meeting, Cyprus 1996, 2003
This article describes the on-site conservation of a group of 12 polychrome floor mosaics found in a III Cent. A.D public building in Zippori, Israel. The intervention is included in a broader project directed by the National Parks Authority of Israel. The conservation of the mosaic of the Nile was carried out allowing the public to wach the work "live": a terrace was built for this purpose. We would like to describe the conservation intervention on the mosaics and comment on various aspects. Starting with technical procedures, we will then consider the principles and the objectives behind the choice of the methods followed and we will conclude with some general reflections.
Preservation and Study of Mosaic Pavements in the Gaza Territory
Le Centre pour la Communication Scientifique Directe - HAL - Aix-Marseille Université, 2016
This publication has been produced within the framework of the Italian-Palestinian PMSP project "Advanced heritage conservation training in East Jerusalem" EJE CH 080 14. Responsibility for the information and views set out in it lies entirely with the authors.
Egyptian Islamic Buildings are suffering from a lot of detorioration types, mainly groundwater and salt weathering which have caused the complete loss of the decorations of some of these mihrabs. Many mihrabs in egyptain islamic buildings need restoration and conservation, as islamic buildings are one of the most famouse hestorical places in egypt and over the world finding solution for this problem become very urgent. A physiochemical study using analytical techniques such as Fourier transform infrared, X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy was done. This characterization study, on one hand helping us to reach for the optimum conservation and completion methods; on the other hand, the deterioration factors of mosaic were determined. All analytical methods indicated that the Al-Mansour kalaoun mosaic mihrab contains lime, Gypsum, Dolomite, Quartz, Calcite and Aragonite. It also proves that sodium chloride (halite) is the principal salt causing deterioration.
2009, Terrazzo and Mosaic Floors in Interwar Buildings in Athens : Conservation Issues
The present research explores the use of terrazzo and mosaic floors in the Interwar buildings of Greece, particularly in its capital Athens. The main objective is to demonstrate that floors are a highly important element of architectural expression and therefore worth preserving. The paper’s aim is to highlight how these ancient techniques, while remaining unaltered in time, were also used in a modern architectural context. The architectural and social context related to these floor finishes will be examined in order to understand their use and subsequently how location and use affected their preservation status. Finally, going through an analysis of how classic conservation principles should be modified, some proposals for their theoretical and practical conservation issues will be formulated. Number of pages: xxi + 91 Number of illustrations: 79 in the chapters and 252 in the case study cards Number of case studies cards: 58 (45 in chapter 3 and 13 in the appendix) Appendices: 2 (13 cards)
The Mosaic Designs of the Kufer-Jayez Church, Jordan
Greek, Roman and Byzantine Studies , 2021
THE KUFER-JAYEZ CHURCH IN northern Jordan, dating to the Byzantine period, has revealed an impressive and well-preserved mosaic pavement. Kufer-Jayez is a large town 12 km north of Irbid, near Beit Ras (Capitolias). The pavement was lifted, transported, conserved, and exhibited at the Dar el-Saraya Museum in Irbid. We present here a comparative study of its artistic motifs. The peculiarity of this mosaic stems from its diversity, with geometric shapes and floral and faunal motifs. A number of the decorations are rare and unusual patterns, whether compared on a national, regional, or global level. Distinctive designs include geometric motifs such as turning wheels, windmills, and others, as well as birds that have survived the iconoclastic destruction that befell many other Byzantine churches in Jordan.
Early Byzantine Mosaic Floors of the Church at Ozem, Israel
Journal of Mosaic Research
gÖrkay (ankara ÜniverSiteSi-tÜrkiye), anne-Marie gUiMier-SOrBetS (aieMa-FranSa/FranCe), werner JOBSt (aUStrian aCaDeMy OF SCienCeS-avUStUrya/ aUStria), I. hakan Mert (BUrSa ULUDag ÜniverSiteSi-tÜrkiye), Maria LUz NEIRA JIMÉNEZ (UniverSiDaD CarLOS iii De MaDriD-iSPanya-SPain), aSher OvaDiah (teL aviv UniverSity-ISraiL/iSraeL), MehMet ÖnaL (harran ÜniverSiteSi-tÜrkiye), DaviD ParriSh (PUrDUe UniverSity-a.B.D./U.S.a), gÜrCan POLat (ege ÜniverSiteSi-tÜrkiye), Marie-PatriCia raynaUD (CnrS PariS-FranSa/FranCe), Derya AHIN (BUrSa ULUDag ÜniverSiteSi-tÜrkiye), MUStaFa AHIN(BUrSa ULUDagÜniverSiteSi-tÜrkiye), y. SeLçUk ener (gazi ÜniverSiteSi-tÜrkiye), eMine tOk (ege ÜniverSiteSi-tÜrkiye), PatriCia wittS (aieMa-BirLeŞik kraLLik/UniteD kingDOM), LiCinia n.C. wrenCh (new UniverSity OF LiSBOn-POrtekiz/POrtUgaL)