New Technology Reveals A Catacomb Fresco Of The Roman Grain Trade And Even Renaissance Graffiti

Sarah Bond,

Assistant Professor in the Classics

Department at the University of Iowa.

Centuries after their rediscovery during the Italian Renaissance, much of the tufa rock within the miles of catacomb tunnels that lay outside the city of Rome remain covered in smoke, algae, dirt and calcium deposits. However, the use of new laser technologies has now effectively removed this unwanted grime without damaging the substratum of painted fresco underneath. The process revealed stunning frescoes within the Catacombs of Domitilla that date to around 360 CE and which may help ancient historians to better understand the annona–the bread dole in the late Roman empire. Other newly restored scenes reference tales from both the Old and the New Testament.

Read more: Forbes – Science

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