IL RUOLO DELL'ACQUA NEL DEGRADO MATERICO E STRUTTURALE DELL'ANFITEATRO ROMANO DI DURAZZO

The roman Amphitheatre of Dürres (Albania) is in the ancient heart of the city, surrounded and partially buried by Ottoman and modern buildings. A first phase of survey allowed to clarify the planning evolution and the original morphology of this monument, together with constructive techniques and transformations. As for most of the existing amphitheatres, also in this case the original facing and decorative elements are lost by now: the present image of the amphitheatre is reduced to the image of its structures, in opus mixtum and opus caementicium, which are the new surfaces in touch with the environment. These elements, frequently joined by more recent stonewalls, are subjected to a rapid deterioration process, essentially caused by the direct interaction with water, which has transformed, during the centuries, from resource to main problem and cause of damage. Decorative mosaics and wall paintings are today almost entirely lost. Consolidation and restoration processes of these elements involve several technical and theoretical issues to solve, which involve the organization of water systems. Starting from the analysis of the existing conditions of this monument, passing through past interventions on it, we can try to define a scheme of intervention which could envisage different technical and theoretical problems bounded up with an archaeological excavation, from visitor safety to the fundamental respect of the authenticity of the monument.