2022 12 14 Vuelven las excavaciones al Teatro Romano después de 15 años para recuperar el pórtico

Excavations at the Roman Theatre of Cartagena have resumed after 15 years, as announced by Mayor Noelia Arroyo, who, along with members of the Board of Trustees of the Roman Theatre Foundation, visited the site this Wednesday, December 14th, and described the moment as historic for "continuing to recover our heritage jewel." The visit took place after a meeting of the Board of Trustees, which was also attended by Deputy Mayor Ana Belén Castejón; the Regional Minister of the Presidency, Tourism and Culture, Marcos Ortuño; the Director General of Cultural Heritage, Pablo Braquehais; and the Director of the Roman Theatre of Cartagena, Elena Ruiz Valderas. The mayor stated that "what many people don't know is that, in reality, half of the Roman Theatre was waiting to be recovered, and that moment has arrived." She added, "This phase of the project has a budget of €780,000, has already begun, and will continue until September." Part of the porticoed garden lies in basements beneath a block of buildings, but another significant portion is accessible thanks to the land management practices implemented by the City Council and was awaiting the right moment for excavation. “The project we are now beginning involves excavating a third of that area and recovering part of the porticoed structure that surrounded the garden, along with two other major innovations that will make our theater even more unique,” ​​according to Arroyo. Among these, the project includes the restoration of paintings, since, as he stated, very few theaters still preserve them, and in Cartagena, “we are finally going to see original paintings from our Roman theater. All the scientific knowledge acquired at archaeological sites in Cartagena over these decades will be applied to their restoration.” The second unique feature involves the recreation of the gardens based on the analysis of pollen from the original plants of that period. This pollen remains within the site, and specialists will come to identify it. “There is great scientific complexity in the project, but we are in the hands of the best experts,” said the mayor. Along these lines, the director of the Roman Theatre of Cartagena, Elena Ruiz Valderas, explained that the work offers an archaeological excavation area where “we will be able to better understand the crypt and analyze the central area of ​​the plaza, which we haven't been able to examine before, and where we can recover interesting elements.” For his part, the scientific director of the project and co-director of the excavations, Sebastián Ramallo, emphasized the scope of the research, since the portico occupies a similar area to the theatre itself and is an element “that operated autonomously and had multiple functions.” “We want to set standards in the research of this type of space with theatrical architecture by applying new methodologies,” he added. Furthermore, the professor of archaeology also highlighted the significant scientific contribution that the investigation of the portico will make, since “it is a living element, which underwent several modifications since the creation of the Roman Theatre.” These variations, according to the expert, will provide a wealth of interesting data for future projects. With this work, “we are showcasing this jewel we have in Cartagena and the Region of Murcia,” stated the Regional Minister of the Presidency, Tourism, and Culture, Marcos Ortuño. He emphasized the Regional Government's commitment to Cartagena, which he described as “the tourist and cultural capital of the Region,” and noted that the executive budget includes allocations of €700,000 for the Cine Central project, €500,000 for the restoration of the Tonina Submarine, and €250,000 for the Basilica of Charity.