Index
60
Centre de Restauració de Béns Mobles de Catalunya
INNOVATION & RESEARCH
RUDI RANESI
The large cistern at the Roman villa of Els Munts or “Castel deposit” IN THE NORTH-EASTERN SECTOR OF THE VILLA ENCLOSURE IS THE MAIN TANK for rainwater collection, also called “Castel deposit”, which was part of the pipe system in the rustic villa, from a period before the paintings in the residential area. Its floor plan is rectangular and is divided internally into eight compartments separated by strong walls, connected to each other through semicircular arches. It is a solid, robust structure. The Roman concrete walls have a remarkable thickness, in this case 55 cm. They are coated with signinum hydraulic mortars, up to 4 cm thick, made of lime, sand and broken ceramic elements,
RESCAT
of different sizes. On the perimeter plinth, between the flooring and the vertical structures, there is a considerable rounded groove that prevented the accumulation of dirt in the corners, following a technique commonly used in the Roman world. Although it is a solid structure, the state of conservation of the ensemble presented many deficiencies when starting work. These were concentrated in the coatings, both of the walls and the pillars of the cistern, given that the mortars were partially detached from the support and showed significant dents and separations, which often turned into material
—
Partial view of the cistern before the intervention. Photo: Rudi Ranesi
—
