ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The Tower of Hercules is the only Roman lighthouse still in use today. It is located on a headland in the city of A Coruña in Galicia (north-western Spain) and it was declared a World Heritage site in 2009. From the original Roman build, the helicoidal access ramp, the external wall and the rotunda that held the beacon, were lost, but the internal core of the lighthouse building, of quadrangular plan, divided in four chambers and three floors, remains. Given its age and continued use, the state of conservation is very good. Nevertheless, the masonry suffers from alterations, originated for the most part in past times. The study of alterations on the Roman masonry aims to evaluate the actual state of conservation as to be able to establish the adequate protocol for its preservation.
