This fragment of an enormous inscription, now  preserved  in the Cortile delle Corazze, was found in 1818 at the foot of the Capitoline Hill in Rome near the Theatre of Marcellus, to which a recent study attributes its relevance. This piece is a portion of a lintel that was possibly originally placed in front of the theater and was a component of a side-by-side multi-block inscription. The massive inscription was perhaps 19 meterslong and composed of metal letters more than 40 centimeters high that were placed in the cavities and are now lost. It was the third largest inscription in Rome, after the registration of the Pantheon and the Temple of Castor and Pollux in the Roman Forum.

Documentation records the construction and dedication of the Theater by the Emperor Augustus to Marcus Claudius Marcellus, the son of his sister Octavia and Caius Claudius Marcellus. Augustus had thought of him as his successor and gave him his daughter, Giulia, to wed. After Marcellus premature death, Augustus decided to dedicate the theater in hisname (13-11 BC). The theater, built at the bank of the Tiber, is still largely visible today.

Given the exceptional historical and archaeological significance of this document, at the conclusion of the restoration,graphic reconstructions will be placed on the exterior wall of the Pauline Museum overlooking the Cortile della Zitella.

On the surface there are a number of cracks, as well as a widespread microbio- logical attack. In several areas of the frag- ment the stone has even begun to chip off and fall away due to the effects of time and the environment.

• Pre-consolidation and ensuring the safety of flakes and fragments in danger prior to transportation
• Disinfection of all surfaces
• Consolidation of flakes, peels, cracks
• Cleaning of all surfaces
• Grouting
• Final protection of the areas restored
• Scientific Documentation

TRANSPORTATION

• Transporting to designated restoration area of Cortile della Zitella by special means
• Relocation at the conclusion of the res- toration within the same court, against the wall of the Pauline Museum

INTERVENTION

• Return of the 1:1 scale of the original epigraphic text with a length of about nineteen meters with durable support