A stone's throw from the Colosseum, the imposing colonnade of the Basilica of Trajan in Rome has just been partly restored thanks to a Russian oligarch now under sanctions.
While most of the work undertaken in Rome to exhume ancient ruins requires tourists to bend over, the reconstruction of the two-level Corinthian colonnade invites them to look up to the sky, more than 23 meters high.
“If visitors do not perceive the height of the monuments, they do not understand the meaning of the architecture,” Claudio Parisi Presicce, chief curator of cultural heritage in Rome, told AFP during a visit to the site.
The Ulpia Basilica – a building with no religious purpose at the time – is the centerpiece of the Forum of Trajan, the largest and last of the imperial forums, named after Marcus Ulpius Traianus, emperor from 98 to 117 AD. vs.
Inaugurated in the 2nd century, it largely collapsed in the Middle Ages, but was brought to light by excavations at the beginning of the 19th century and in the 1930s.
The current project, which began in 2021, made it possible to identify three green marble columns left for almost a century "in a corner", without link to their foundations, explains Claudio Parisi Presicce.
The decorative frieze of the Ulpia Basilica, depicting winged victors sacrificing bulls, has been recreated. © Filippo Monteforte, AFP
A restoration financed by an oligarch close to Putin
The project was financed by a donation of 1.5 million euros made in 2015 by the oligarch of Uzbek origin Alisher Ousmanov. He was sanctioned by the EU and the United States after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in early 2022, accused by the US Treasury of being close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Forbes estimated his fortune last year at $14.4 billion, built in the metallurgical and mining industry.
Named “most generous donor” on the Sunday Times rich patrons list in 2021 after donating $4.2 billion to charities in 20 years, Alisher Ousmanov is an Italophile who has already brought his gifts to Rome .
Questioned on this subject, Claudio Parisi Presicce argues that the financing of Alisher Ousmanov was accepted before Western sanctions, and the ancient heritage of Rome, he argues, is "universal".
Trajan's vast military campaigns, including the near-extermination of the Dacian people in what is now Romania, allowed Rome to further expand its borders. His two bloody wars against the Dacians are depicted in a spiral bas-relief on Trajan's Column, located just north of the basilica and erected to glorify the emperor's victories and spoils.
Trajan "built a monument using the most precious materials that could be used at that time", analyzes Claudio Parisi Presicce, like these colored marbles extracted in Egypt, Asia and Africa.
Engineers returned three green marble columns to their places on granite pillars. © Andreas Solaro, AFP
Some 150 archaeological projects planned in Rome until 2027
The basilica, which housed the civil and criminal courts and other administrations, was composed of five central aisles separated by rows of columns. Designed by the famous architect Apollodorus of Damascus, it was covered with a bronze tiled roof, while statues of Dacian prisoners and frescoes depicting the weapons of the victorious legions adorned the facade.
Previous excavations had uncovered the forum and the remains of its basilica, but although the massive granite pillars that ran along the length of the basilica were restored and reassembled, the colonnade was still missing its second floor.
This is now done: segments of the original marble of the entablature frieze, preserved in warehouses or museums, have been recreated in resin, as well as lost parts with fewer details.
This allows the viewer to see the difference between the originals and the replicas, a common practice in heritage-friendly restoration, illustrating the reversible nature of the intervention.
Claudio Parisi Presicce, Rome's top cultural heritage official, is overseeing some 150 archaeological projects until 2027. © Filippo Monteforte, AFP
The final stages of the project involve recreating the southern staircase of the basilica, incorporating slabs of ancient yellow marble found on the site.
Some 150 archaeological projects are planned in Rome until 2027, the vast majority of them financed by the European Union's post-pandemic recovery funds.
With AFP
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