This week sees the end of the maintenance and conservation work at the Baños de la Reina archaeological site, begun last July by the company Alebus Patrimonio Histórico and funded by Calp City Council.
This work campaign began with the concern to remove the graffiti on the Molí del Morelló. At that time, it was necessary to prioritise and act on the Molí to prevent the paint from solidifying. The intervention on this structure has given good results and there are no more traces of graffiti.
Work continued on the most damaged and affected walls and in the mosaic area to counteract the damage caused by vegetation. The archaeologist and technical director of the site, Alicia Luján, has pointed out that "we have finished the campaign in the main villa of the 4th century, we have acted in the central courtyard in the conservation of the mosaics and its walls have been restored. We have also placed gravel in different shades in certain areas of the site to facilitate the understanding of the different spaces and to distinguish the terrace from the corridor or other spaces, but above all this process of placing gravel involves the installation of an anti-grass net that slows down the vegetation".
This system of laying gravel in different colours allows spaces to be delineated and the mosaic to be embellished and protected at the same time. It is a process that has already been used in sites such as Lucentum, L'Alcudia or La Illeta. At the moment, this system has been used in the Domus area, but in the future, it will also be installed in the Thermae and the Basilica. The Ministry of Culture has already announced that maintenance and conservation work will be resumed next year
In addition, flights with drones were carried out this week on behalf of the provincial administration to carry out a complete and detailed planimetry of the archaeological zone BIC of Banys de la Reina.
Currently, the Architecture Department of the Diputación de Alicante and MARQ are working on the future master plan of the Banys de la Reina site, a document that will allow for the enhancement and better conservation of this important Roman site.