Naples, Chiaia Station, Aqueduct of Roman Era
Date
Monday January 23rd, 2017
DATA SHEET
SUBJECT:
Aqueduct of Roman era – Subway of Naples – Line 6 – Chiaia Station
DATING:
II century A.C.
LOCATION:
Naples, Santa Maria degli Angeli Square
CUSTOMER:
ANSALDO STS
HIGH SURVEILLANCE:
Archaeological Superintendency of Naples – Dr. Daniela Giampaola
PERIOD OF INTERVENTION:
June 2011 – July 2011
Intervention executed in ATI with M.I.R. constructions that produced and assembled steel structures, besides coordinated movements and transport from site to the depot.
THE PROBLEM
To allow the fulfilment of the excavation of Chiaia station it was necessary to remove the stretch of Roman aqueduct intercepted by the station shaft. The aqueduct was built using drafts, tufa stone flakes and stones aggregated with a pozzolan and lime mortar and throwing on countersignatures. The thickness of the wall structure, of the walls and of the vault, is about 40/35 cm. The base of the tunnel is constituted by a screed more or less 30/40 cm high. The whole tunnel, inside, was coated with a mortar of variable thickness earthenware, between 2 and 3 cm.
The total height of all the manufactured article which has to be taken was of 2.20 / 2.30 meters. The width was 1.35 / 1.40 meters.
Considering the fragility of the constituent materials and the fragmented state of the artifact it has been projected to remove it in one single block for the length of about 2.50 meters.
THE METHOD
The intervention consisted in the preparation of the artifact with cleaning and disinfection treatments of extrados masonry and coatings earthenware interior by moldings and consolidation with hydraulic mortar. After the pre-consolidation have been applied protective bandages and reinforcements with ratchet straps.
The “tunnel” section was taken in one single block. A specialized enterprise has dimensioned and built the structure for lifting and handling, a supporting tubular steel floor, an arched structure inside the tunnel and around a cage.
After the construction of the frame the preparation has been completed with the packaging of the artifact.
