Restoration Interventions at the Roman Nymphaeum in Amman: Identification and Evaluation

Abstract

Over the last few decades, conservation work has been conducted by the Department of Antiquities of Jordan (DoA) on the Roman Nymphaeum in Amman. This intervention has taken the form of direct and indirect actions. In this article it will be shown that the conservation works concentrated on reinforcing the structure and reconstructing some architectural features of the building, with little consideration of the techniques and materials used. Intervention actions were mostly poor in terms of their scientific approach, and neither proper planning nor a well-defined methodology existed. This study provides a holistic approach for the evaluation of the state of the conservation of the monument in terms of quality and quantity. Thus, the results could be a valuable source for establishing comprehensive risk mitigation for future restoration work and site management. In addition, establishing practical restoration guidelines could help in developing socio-economic benefits for the community through tourism.

Keywords:

• Jordan
• Roman architecture
• Nymphaeum
• assessment
• conservation
• restoration
• conservation plan
• interpretation

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to acknowledge everyone who has contributed in any way to this work, especially the Hashemite University (the Deanship of Research and Graduate Studies), the DFG German for financial support for this research, Prof. Johannes Cramer from the Technische Universität Berlin for scientific support, and the Department of Antiquities (DoA) for accessing its archives and for their field support.