Amongst the large number of Macedonian tombs discovered since the late 19th century, no monument has received more attention than the Tomb of Philip II and the impressive hunt frieze extending over the entire width of its façade, much praised for its artistic ingenuity and much discussed for its iconography.
Τhe HFTV-ReVis project focused on an extensive non-invasive investigation of the hunt frieze, never previously undertaken, aiming at revealing the original aspect of ancient colours and retrieving iconographical elements that are no longer visible to the naked eye due to the extensive damage of the pictorial surface. Relying on the results of this investigation an accurate digitized colour reconstruction will be produced that will enhance the visualisation of the hunt frieze and improve its accessibility. The two phases of the interdisciplinary investigation of the painting took place at the archaeological site of Aigai (UNESCO monument), from 8 to 27 March 2023 and 11-15 September 2023.
The project was carried out by the National Hellenic Research Foundation, in collaboration with the National Centre for Scientific Research “Demokritos”, and the Hellenic Ministry of Culture and Sports. By getting access in the research infrastructure of the MOLAB a great amount of new information on the hunt frieze was obtained, both regarding its painting materials and its iconography, considerably enriching our data on this unique painting. The investigation included imaging and photographic techniques (XRAYLab CNR-ISPC), FORS, (CNR-SMAArt), FTIR (CNR-SMAArt), XRD mapping and point analysis (XRAYLab CNR-ISPC), MA-XRF imaging spectrometry (XRAYLab CNR-ISPC), VNIR-SI (CNR-SMAArt), remote VNIR-SI, VNIR-HIS, LIF-HSI and SWIR-HIS (NTU-ISAAC).
The HFTV-ReVis project highlights the key importance of interdisciplinarity and state-of-the-art technology in the art historical and archaeological study of the hunt frieze, which, owing to its exceptional quality and great historical significance, is the most renowned painting of classical antiquity.
