TEL AVIV (JTA) — Frescoes from a room in a Herodian palace atop the ancient Jewish fortress of Masada were restored and returned to their original location.
Discovered by former Israeli general and archaeologist Yigal Yadin in the 1960s, the frescoes were on display at Masada until 20 years ago, when they were stored to prevent further damage to them, according to Haaretz.
After a month of art restoration work on the frescoes by the Italian conservator Maurizio Tagliapietra, the frescoes will be returned to their original room in the palace, which Tagliapietra also restored. Tagliapietra worked on the project with a team from Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority.
The frescoes show geometric figures, and proved that commanders in Herod’s army lived in the room, according to Tagliapietra.
It was Tagliapietra’s second stint of work at Masada. In 2003, he restored another room there.
