The US State Department released a grand of 32 500 USD for the reconstruction of the ancient mosaics dating from the 4th c., discovered years ago during elevation works in the subway passage opposite the Monday Greenmarket.That is the first project for Plovdiv cultural heritage preservation, financially supported by the US government. The US Ambassador James Pardew and the Plovdiv mayor Dr Ivan Chomakov signed the contract for the funds transfer yesterday in the Plovdiv municipality building. Some time ago the Plovdiv municipality started an Artistic Project Competition for creating a project for reconstructing the unique mosaics in the so-called ?Archaeological? subway passage. The winner in that project competition was the artist Georgi Ivanov, more popular under the nickname George Trak, currently the concessionaire of the Archaeological subway. The whole project is estimated to 72 000 USD - 32 5000 USD of which are covered by the US Department, 22 500 USD by the Massachusetts Restoration Centre, and the remaining 17 800 USD ? by the TrakArt Foundation, owned by George Trak. According to the Mayor, Dr Chomakov, projects of 283 countries altogether were presented to the Project Competition, 43 of which were approved (including the Plovdiv winning project).In acknowledgement of that financial support, the Plovdiv mayor and the artist gave to James Pardew as a gift a stone copy of the votive plaque with the image of the Thracian Rider.The restoration works in the subway have already started and according to the concessionaire will be completed in a year and half. The Eyrene mosaics, that stayed for years closed for the people, are in fact part of the floor covering of a Roman house. The original ancient fountain will also be restored.
(You can see some information about the polychromatic mosaic bearing the emblem of ?Eyrene? from a residential peristyled building built after the Gothic Invasion in 251, and see the replica of the central panel of the ?Eyrene? mosaic, middle of III c., at the website of the Plovdiv Archaeological Museum at: www.archaeologicalmuseumplovdiv.org )