The strategy to preserve the structures of the buildings of the archaeological site Djemila (Setif)

Abstract

The archaeological site of Djemila had experienced excavation work at the middle of the 19th century. As a result, the structures of its monuments are exposed to various alterations resulting from the immediate environment or from the incompatibility of the materials used during the intervention works.
The diagnosis established on the stone composing the structures of the walls allowed us to identify the nature of the damages; cracks, bursts, and biological deterioration. In order to understand the losses suffered by the site stone, we have carried out laboratory analyzes, chemical and mineralogical analysis, and determination of the physicochemical properties of samples C1, C2 and C3, which come from quarries which were originally used as the source of the site stone.
The results show that C1 and C2 have a good toughness while C3 has weak mechanical properties and is in a state of continuous deterioration.
To conclude, it is important to protect it by following a particular strategy based on prevention before damage.