Per un'archeologia del restauro funzionale in antico sui grandi contenitori: esempi da Difesa San Biagio (Basilicata-MT)

This paper focuses on more recent archaeological research in the classical age village of Difesa San Biagio and on the discovery of artifacts with repairs made in ancient times. First of all, we discuss some general issues regarding the motivations and the various restoration techniques. We then discuss the three most current restoration practices on pottery vessels such as the use of adhesives, the integration on the ceramic body with external clay fragments and the use of junction elements. The first method, based on the use of resins, is one of the oldest systems for restoration so far encountered; the second, less used, consisted in the insertion of clay fragments of different origin in the points in which the ceramic body appeared incomplete; the third system, however, involved the creation of holes in the pottery fragments in the vicinity of the fracture and the placement of mechanical joining elements, perishable or metal material, within the holes themselves, in order to securely hold together the clay fragments. In the latter type it belongs the action of ancient restoration carried out on large containers with lead clamps, discovered at Difesa San Biagio that is being discussed here.