Laboratory and field investigation of the backfill behind the ancient walls of the Acropolis, Athens
Laboratory and field investigation of the backfill behind the ancient walls of the Acropolis, Athens
Two trial pits were excavated in the backfill behind the ancient walls of the Acropolis in Athens. One was adjacent to the north facing wall and one adjacent to the south facing wall at the point separating two different periods of the construction of the walls. The pits were a combination of archaeological and geotechnical investigation. The paper presents the results of the geotechnical tests performed allowing classification of the backfill material and determination of their mechanical and hydraulic properties (including the water retention curve). This laboratory investigation was complemented by field measurements of the in-situ density, suction and volumetric water content performed during the excavation of the pits on the bottom and the sides of the pits. These are compared to the water retention curve measured on large size samples reproduced in the laboratory with the same density measured in-situ along with the available long-term measurements from an array of sensors measuring in-situ suction and volumetric water content that was installed at the end of the excavation of the north trial pit before it was back-filled again.
Michael Bardanis; N. L. Ninis; Dionisia Michalopoulou
4th International Symposium on the Preservation of Monuments and Historic Sites
Greek Monuments
https://doi.org/10.53243/tc301-2026-77