The Hadrianic Baths

Abstract
The Hadrianic Baths is one of the most important archaeological sites in Leptis Magna- Libya. It was built at the command of Emperor Hadrian in the early 2nd century CE; they represent some of the most lavish structures of Leptis Magna. It is unique in design and building technique. It was built of limestone, marble and brick. This paper mainly describes the deterioration of marble. The marble in the monuments can be classified into several types, based on its color, texture, chemical composition and the constituent mineral. The Hadrianic Baths is subjected to severe degradation, due to the climate, which is typically marine. This site suffered from different weathering forms, for example, disintegration of grains, pitting, chipping,

They were discovered by Italian, American, British and Libyan archeologists during excavations performed since 1921. The Leptis Magna monuments were registered in the World Cultural Heritage List. The Hadrianic Baths are among the most famous monuments of Leptis Magna. Moreover, they are very large buildings in Africa. They were built at the command of Emperor Hadrian in the early 2nd century (126-127CE) and were changed at the command of Emperor Komodous (180-193 CE). The complex represents some of the most lavish structures in Leptis Magna [1]. Although they are not the largest of Roman baths, the Hadrianic Baths are a grand complex of buildings with reasonably varied and interesting internal volumes. Outermost was an open air swimming bath, with dressing rooms (apodyteria). The entire complex is symmetrical and it is possible that men and women could have bathed at the same time, separated from each other. Only the hot bath may have been closed for one group, surrounded on three sides by porticos and flanked by a pair of colonnaded halls. The columns surrounding the pool were made of granite, imported from Egypt, The hall between

Examination
The samples were observed by Stereo microscope on polished thin sections, by using a Leica DM 1000 stereoscopic microscope with a Leica EC3 camera. Optical microscopy (OM) was very useful for determining the different litho types present in monuments and for identifying the exact stratigraphy of the samples. It can provide information on the damaged layers, such as the sequence of layers, the particle size, color and texture of those layers.
Scanning electron microscope (SEM-EDX)
The surface features of the damaged layers was analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), (SEM JEOL JSM 6400) coupled with an energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (EDS), to reveal details of the digenetic processes and micro-scale features in the marble. Small marble samples were coated with gold.
X-ray diffraction (XRD)
The identification of the mineral composition of the samples was made by X-ray diffraction patterns, using a Philips X-ray PW 1840 diffractometer. The patterns were run with Ni-filtered, Cu Kα radiation (λ = 1.54056 Å) at 30 kV and 10 mA. The scanning was limited from 2_ = 1 to 2_ = 80◦ range.
Results and