Appia Antica Archaeological Park, restoration of the rediscovered Hercules opens to the public

In the Villa dei Quintili of the Appia Antica Archaeological Park, the restoration ofHercules, the life-size statue that had been unearthed on January 25, 2023 in the area of Scott Park, between Cristoforo Colombo and the second mile of the Via Appia Antica, during a difficult overhaul and remediation of the sewer conduit by Acea - Southern Basin, opens to the public. The most delicate stages of handling and assembling the sculptural fragments have been completed and now the site of the marble statue becomes accessible to visitors. Restoration operations are underway inside the Villa dei Quintili’s large cistern where access is possible on all days the site is open. On Monday, April 24 and Tuesday, April 25, during the holidays, access to the site will be free of charge as in all state museums.

The unexpected discovery had occurred during the removal of a brick sewer dating from the last century. The structure, which collapsed in several places, had led to sewage spills and the opening of dangerous sinkholes and landslides in the Scott Park hillside in previous months. Fragments of the statue were found just below the sewage flow surface, within a layer of loosely packed clay soil, in association with modern materials dating to the early 20th century. The find had then been removed from its original stratigraphic position to be backfilled into the sewer foundation in the early 20th century. After the discovery of the statue, two archaeological survey essays were carried out at the side of the sewer to investigate possible archaeological stratigraphy untouched by the construction work for the twentieth-century facility and to acquire data on the possible original context of the sculpture. The assays, carried out by protecting the walls with a blindo-excavation due to the considerable depths to be reached, identified and excavated a substantial layer rich in ceramic material from the 2nd and 3rd centuries AD. Underneath this emerged a mixed-work wall of tufa cubilia and angular brick dentures, which bordered a room paved in cocciopesto.

The statue

The statue is made of white marble probably Pentelic, although this will have to be confirmed by specific analysis, and depicts a character with a very well characterized face with the attributes of Hercules. Starting with the portrait, we are faced with a character in old age, with a rather receding face marked by important wrinkles, both frontal and naso-labial. The portrait is characterized by a general realistic impression. The eyes, surmounted by thin, arched eyebrows, have bulging eyelids and an incised iris and pupil. The nose is characterized by a long curved back and wide nostrils. A beard, with slightly wavy locks, covers the chin and cheeks and reaches the lower lip; a mustache covers the nasolabial area. The figure wears the leonté i.e., the skin of the Nemean lion, one of the most characteristic attributes of Hercules, which covers his shoulders, ending in a large knot on his chest; a flap, supported by his left forearm, runs down his left thigh. Other unfailing attributes are the club and quiver with arrows.

Overall, the sculptural body is monumental: the overall height, including the base, is 2.08 meters. The figure, naked and massive, rests on a base, on which stands a rocky boulder, also having a static function, and on which are the club (on which must have rested the right hand, which is missing) and the quiver, leaning against the left foot. The back of the right foot is truncated, allowing one to assume an original placement against a wall. The left hand, also not preserved, must have been holding the Hesperides’ apples. The general characteristics recall those of the so-called Borghese Heracles, preserved at the Borghese Palace in Campo Marzio: a sculptural type made around the middle of the 4th cent. bce. C. and transmitted through copies and variants from the Roman period.

Regardless of the identification of the portrait, the statue is certainly a clear example of the phenomenon ofimitatio herculis, typical of Hellenistic kings, emperors and Roman men of power. The trend began, according to the sources, with a number of Olympic victors who harkened back to Heracles, the founder and first winner of the games. The first monarch to self-represent himself in this way was Alexander the Great. Roman emperors include Trajan and Hadrian although it is Commodus who is the emperor who blatantly refers to Hercules, whose attributes he assimilates, to the point of being publicly acclaimed as Roman Hercules. His effigy as Hercules appears on coin series and medallions, and the bust of Commodus as Hercules, datable to 192 CE, from the Horti Lamiani and preserved in the Capitoline Museums, is one of the most celebrated works of Roman portraiture.

The restoration

The sculptural group was found in fragments. Most of the fractures are ancient with the exception of the one between the body and right leg that occurred in conjunction with the circumstances of the discovery. After recovery, the marble surface was preliminarily cleared of excavated soil with paintbrushes and vacuum cleaners. Subsequently, a washing was carried out with water, sponges and soft brushes, which allowed us to observe the main degradation phenomena of the marble surface, which was affected by concretions and deposits and covered with a pale yellow adherent patina. The thickest encrustations are located on the back of the body and base fragments. Abrasions, spalling, and lacunae are found on the surface. At the belly is a deep scratch and a lack at the genitalia due to the recent action of the mechanical excavator. The current restoration work, by Res.Loi, included the construction of a support structure necessary for handling, weighing and bonding the fragments with epoxy resin. For larger and heavier fragments, titanium pins were also used so as to ensure the optimal seal. All attachment interfaces were preliminarily treated with resins to make a sacrificial layer that could ensure reversibility of the operation.

Once the statue was “put back on its feet,” surface cleaning operations began with manual mechanical means such as a scalpel or with precision instrumentation such as an ultrasonic device. Compress compresses soaked in a saturated solution of inorganic salts or ammonium carbonate are also applied to soften the concretions and coherent deposits and remove them with a final rinse. At the end of the cleaning operations, the aesthetic presentation will be addressed: the cracks will be sealed with micro-grouting and grouting made with air lime-based mortars of suitable granulometry and color mixture, to be defined following the performance of tests. Finally, where possible, the integration of missing parts of stone will be carried out in order to restore unity to the work to be carried out with mortar worked on site. Integrations will be carried out only where it will be possible to do so without arbitrarily interpreting the modeling, in full respect of the original work. Finally, the entire surface will be treated with a suitable protective applied by brush, compatible with the original material both chemically and chromatically.

The public will have access Tuesday through Sunday, from 9 a.m. to 7:15 p.m. with last admission at 6:15 p.m.

All info and tickets can be found on the Appia Antica Archaeological Park website.

Appia Antica Archaeological Park, restoration of the rediscovered Hercules opens to the public

Warning: the translation into English of the original Italian article was created using automatic tools. We undertake to review all articles, but we do not guarantee the total absence of inaccuracies in the translation due to the program. You can find the original by clicking on the ITA button. If you find any mistake,please contact us.