ARCE

Ceramic vessels displayed on south west corner of shelter

Description:
Ceramic vessels displayed on south west corner of shelter
Photographer:
Image capture by Edwin Brock
Date Created:
April 8, 2000
Collection:
Villa of the Birds Mosaic Conservation
Series:
Post-conservation
Subseries:
Shelter
Location:
Alexandria, Egypt and Al Iskandarīyah
Time Period:
Early Roman Empire and Byzantine Period
Genre:
black-and-white photographs
Conservation Note:
The finds from the undisturbed deposits belong to the period of construction and occupation of the house, but equally so to leveling layers. Just under the floor of room F1, three well-preserved amphorae were discovered serving as sediment tanks for domestic refuse and sewage. Two of these amphorae, practically whole except for the bottom part, had been dug in upside down; the rim was left open permitting the waste to soak through. All three belong to a Gaza (LRA 4) amphorae type, quite common in the Late Roman assemblages in Alexandria. This specific form represents a type produced in the 6th century AD.
Copyright Status:
copyrighted
Creative Commons License:
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/
Local ID:
arce_ca_vob_images_0580.tif
Project History:
At the heart of modern Alexandria in Kom el-Dikka lies an exceptional demonstration of Domestic architecture during the Roman Imperial period. The Early Roman villa named “Villa of the Birds” houses exceptionally well preserved mosaic floors, made of tesserae. True to its name, it contains Mosaic a-5 which depicts different bird species within seven different panels. Under the auspices of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE), Dr. Wojciech Kolataj and his team conserved the mosaic floors, constructed a shelter, and landscaped the surrounding area. Some related supplemental work was carried out by the Polish-Egyptian Preservation Mission, and sponsored jointly by the Supreme Council of Antiquities (currently the Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities) and the Polish Center of Archaeology. Conservation work was made possible with the support of the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities (formerly the Egyptian Supreme Council of Antiquities).
Funding Agency:
Villa of the Birds Mosaic Conservation project was made possible with funding by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Grant No. 263-G-00-93-00089-00 (formerly 263-0000-G-00-3089-00) and administered by the Egyptian Antiquities Project (EAP) of the American Research Center in Egypt (ARCE).