ÖZKD LXXVIII 2025 Heft 1, pp. 16-29, 2025/05/08
Monitoring in der Archäologie
The project “Eternity in stone? Roman stone artifacts in wind and weather” documents and evaluates the state of preservation for nearly 400 Roman stone monuments that are kept outside of museums in Styria. In addition to photos and 3D data, improved descriptions have been incorporated into the international database Ubi Erat Lupa (lupa.at). The results reveal that storing the stone under shelter (preferably indoors) is key to their long-term preservation. Weathering, frost, biogenic growth, and mechanical stress repeatedly endanger the rock formation. The 3D documentation digitally captures the current state, allows for precise analysis, and is used as a basis for conservation projects. In addition, 39 new stone artefacts are introduced, as well as some objects that were already known but not yet recorded in the database.