BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhuanet) -- Rome's ancient
sites today face an array of perils old and new and need the urgent attention of
teams of monument "doctors," according to an AP report.
The hazards, such as weeds with stone-splitting
roots, traffic belching pollution, tourists trampling, earthquakes and
terrorism, pose great threat to the Eternal City's monuments, from the imposing
stone bulk of the Colosseum to the romantic ruins of imperial luxury atop the
Palatine Hill.
So far, the Colosseum has made it through two
millennia, its imposing stone bulk still standing after quakes, lightning
strikes, pillaging, traffic tearing round it and subway cars vibrating below.
And now, following the terrorist bombings in London and Madrid, the great
stadium where gladiators once thrilled the masses is equipped with metal
detectors.
"The Colosseum is always worrisome because of the
threat of an earthquake," said Giorgio Croci, an engineer who has been studying
it for years.
Topping the experts' list of potential perils these
days is the Palatine Hill.
"The Palatine is an area extremely dense in monuments
in a more precarious state," said Croci in an interview in his studio on the
Aventine, another of ancient Rome's seven hills.
"Frightening" and "terrifying" are the words used by
Giovanna Tedone, an architect for the Palatine from the state's archaeology
office, as she points out fissures and piles of crumbled brickwork during a walk
around the towering ruins.
According to Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli, a
former Rome mayor, the national budget can't keep up with the pace of
archaeology in a city where "every day there's a discovery."
Archaeology authorities get to keep 80 percent of
ticket sales at Roman sites, but the income doesn't cover the costs of
preservation, said Bottini, the archeology official.
When results of the $1.25 million Palatine mapping
project are turned in this month, the monument doctors will start checkups on
other sites: the ancient forums, Trajan's Markets, Nero's Golden Palace and the
Colosseum.
Croci said relatively cheap measures could improve
its safety, such as cables sunk vertically down the stone as anchors.
"From an engineering standpoint," he said, "Rome's
monuments can go on for 10,000 more years."Enditem
(Agencies)
