European Heritage Training Course "Conservation of Roman mosaics"

The site

Municipium Ulpiana – Justiniana Secunda, located about twelve kilometres to the southeast of Prishtina, the capital of Kosovo, is one of the most important archaeological sites in Kosovo. During the Roman period, Ulpiana was one of the main communication crossroads between Constantinople and Rome, linking the routes from the Adriatic to the Aegean Coast of which the most prominent were the Via Lissus – Naissus and Scupi. In the year 169 A.D. Ulpiana acquired the status of a Municipium, which was the Latin term for a town or city. The acquisition of this status effectively meant the incorporation of the site as a recognised urban centre within the administrative apparatus of the Roman Empire. Ulpiana reached its greatest development in the period between the 3rd and 4th century A.D., becoming a strong political, economic and cultural centre.

In the period of Emperor Justinian in the 6th century, Ulpiana was renamed to Justiniana Secunda.

The first archaeological discoveries in the site of Ulpiana began in the second half of the 20th century and have been continued guided by local and foreign archaeologists up to the present day. The explorations have resulted in the discovery of several cult objects and sacral monuments, parts of the surrounding walls and defensive towers, the Castrum – the Roman military camp –, and hundreds of fragments of various artefacts. The archaeological excavations have also revealed other parts of the former city such as the North Gate, the Portico Temple, Fortezza Basilica including its rich mosaic floor, the Baptistery, and the Northern Necropolis.

Based on its historical, archaeological, artistic and scientific values, Municipium Ulpiana – Justiniana Secunda was proclaimed an “Archaeological Site under Permanent Protection” by the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage in 2016.

The training course

The European Heritage Training Course in 2022 is the continuation of similar Training Courses on mosaic conservation in Kosovo which took place in 2020 in the Archaeological Site of Dresnik and in 2021 at the Archaeological Site of Ulpiana. As the past two training courses, the training course in 2022 will be also dedicated to the conservation and restoration of mosaics from the Imperial and the late-Imperial Roman period.

The conservation and restoration measures will refer to the mosaics conserved in situ in the archaeological site Municipium Ulpiana – Justiniana Secunda. These mosaics, with geometrical and polychromatic ornaments, have been discovered in the Roman bath complex, in a part of the portico of the ancient Temple, and on the floor of the crypt of the Basilica.

Under the guidance of a conservator-restorer specialised on mosaics, the participants will get a thorough insight into the challenges of the in-situ conservation and restoration of mosaics. The technical instructor will introduce the participants to all essential steps of to be carried out during the documentation, conservation and restoration process. The opportunity to work on original elements dating nearly two thousand years back, hand-in-hand with an expert in this field, will be an extraordinary occasion for the participants to learn about the intricacies of the conservation and restoration process of these extraordinarily valuable and fragile historical vestiges.

Additionally, the training course will be complemented by a comprehensive educational programme that will allow the participants to familiarise themselves with the tangible as well as the intangible heritage of Kosovo.

The training course will take place from September, 11th, till September, 24th, 2022, and is jointly organised by the Kosovo Council for Cultural Heritage, the Institute of Archaeology of the Republic of Kosovo and European Heritage Volunteers.