An Italian art restorer reversed inadvertent damage done 40 years ago on the 2,000-year-old frescoes from the Jewish fortress of Masada.

Maurizio Tagliapietra undid the harm done to the first-century frescoes -- comparable to Pompeii's for richness and variety -- from conservation materials applied in the 1960s, ANSA said.

"Back then the techniques were supposedly cutting-edge but, over time, they turned out to be disastrous," said Zeev Margalit of the Israeli conservation organization INNPA. "Paradoxically, the frescoes suffered more damage in the last 40 years than they did in the previous 2,000 years."

Calling the restorer's work "heroic," Margalit said Tagliapietra's team worked for two years to reverse the damaging effects of the 1960 materials.

Tagliapietra said it was one of his toughest challenges.

"It was the culmination of my career as a restorer," he said.

The frescoes are at a Jerusalem museum where they will be part of a major collection on Israel's cultural heritage.

Masada is symbolic to Jews worldwide because in 73 A.D., some 1,000 Jewish rebels took their own lives rather than yield to a huge army led by the Emperor Titus.