A Research Survey into Stucco Decorations and Clay Statues (Part 7)
Since 2021, the Japan Center for International Cooperation in Conservation (JCIC) has been involved in a research survey on stucco decoration and clay statues under the research project “Technology for the Conservation and Restoration of Cultural Heritage” program.
As part of this research, a team from JCIC visited Italy from September 8 to 26, 2025, to study archaeological sites of the Greek and Roman periods, including the Roman ruins of Somma Vesuviana, the Pompeii Archaeological Park, and the Selinunte Archaeological Park.
At the Somma Vesuviana site, we focused on a Roman-era decorated gateway excavated by a team led by the University of Tokyo. Based on a research plan prepared in the previous fiscal year, we conducted studies on the techniques and materials of the stucco decorations present at the site, and carried out various experiments on modern conservation and restoration methods.
Meanwhile, at the Selinunte Archaeological Park in Sicily, a meeting was held with the Director of the park to present and explain the objectives and significance of this research. As a result of the Director’s understanding and approval, official consent was obtained to include the park’s Greek-period stucco decorations as research subjects, and full cooperation was kindly extended to our study. Furthermore, since physical and chemical deterioration has been observed in the limestone used for the temples, the park expressed an interest in having us conduct research on possible measures to mitigate such deterioration.
In addition, the Soprintendenza di Palermo (Superintendence of Cultural and Environmental Heritage of Palermo), after reviewing and expressing its understanding of the aims of this project, kindly proposed that we also consider including Roman archaeological sites under its jurisdiction in the Palermo area as potential research subjects.
In summary, through the present field mission, it was confirmed that understanding and support for the objectives of this study are steadily expanding among relevant institutions. Moving forward, we plan to continue comparative research on the techniques and materials of stucco decorations from the Greek and Roman periods—focusing on the sites visited during this mission—to deepen our understanding of their structure and characteristics, while also advancing research on appropriate methods for conservation-restoration and site management.