First Off Season
May 24 - September 25
Summary list of activities
- Organisation of RCU work trip to Italy, including planning of activities, scheduling of meetings, and preparing of necessary documentation to discuss perspectives on the conservation challenges at Hegra and to develop joint solutions;
- Input of data into the geodatabase and creation of graphic mapping including the information collected on site;
- Insertion of metadata to the photographic and video documentation;
- Completion of the 3D survey;
- Planning for the second field season (September 2024 – March 2025), including the preparation of documentation on the evaluation of degradation forms and testing treatments in selected sample areas;
- Prosecution of diagnostic analyses of the collected samples and environmental monitoring;
- Update of the website and publication of specific content on social media channels.
During the first off season in Italy, the RCU delegation, composed of M. Tsitsinaki, R. Ballesteros, and M. Albarake, along with the Estia group, undertook a journey filled with meetings and technical visits to deepen their understanding of the conservation efforts at the Hegra site.
The trip began in Milan, with meetings at Mapei laboratories to discuss material investigations and restoration techniques. Engineer F. Canali from the Veneranda Fabbrica del Duomo contributed by examining critical conservation issues. Together with the Estia team, the progress of the scheduled cataloguing and mapping, set to continue until September, was reviewed, and key ongoing restoration sites were visited. In Florence, the group met with Professors Matteini and Fratini at the Opificio delle Pietre Dure to discuss conservation methodologies and degradation phenomena affecting monuments. This meeting offered valuable insights to compare materials and deterioration issues with those at Hegra. The visit to Civita di Bagnoregio with Engineer Margottini provided the opportunity to explore a village on unstable rock, facing critical structural issues similar to those at certain sites in Saudi Arabia.
Finally, in Rome, the group presented the 3D surveying activities at the Colosseum Archaeological Park with Engineer Spizzichino and visited the Foro Italico, where Estia applied innovative nanocalcium-based treatments. The trip aimed to provide a comprehensive perspective on the conservation challenges at Hegra and to develop joint solutions.
The condition assessment activities included the input of data into the geodatabase, creation of graphic mapping including the information collected on site regarding the decorative elements, constituent materials, processing techniques, state of conservation, and previous interventions.
Condition assessment tasks also involved reviewing site critical issues, and adding metadata to the photographic and video documentation. The geodatabase received technical support from ES Progetti e Sistemi, with online meetings for data uploading and processing, while the 3D survey continued with the review of drafts and orthophotomaps by Geogrà.
For the planning of the second field season (September 2024 – March 2025), documents were prepared for evaluating the degradation forms affecting the Hegra site, and testing treatments in some sample areas were scheduled.
The scientific group worked on samples collected in November 2023, conducting diagnostic analyses (e.g., XRD, SEM/EDS, and OM) to characterise materials and deterioration products. Environmental monitoring continued with data analysis from sensors, and activities were planned for the next field season. In both cases, regular updates and reports were provided to evaluate the implementation of activities and to organise upcoming activities based on the results of diagnostic investigations.
The communication plan continued with the updating of the website and the publication of specific content on social media channels (Instagram and LinkedIn), in order to share with a wider audience the knowledge about the Hegra site acquired during the previous months of fieldwork.
