Lasers turn back time on Rome’s Column of Marcus Aurelius

Just as cosmetic surgeons wield lasers to smooth away wrinkles, archaeologists in Rome are firing beams of light at history itself, peeling away decades of grime from one of the city’s most storied monuments.

Restorers are making the most extensive use yet of laser cleaning in Italy to remove layers of dirt from the Column of Marcus Aurelius, a 1,840-year-old masterpiece that celebrates the emperor’s victories over barbarian tribes along the Danube.

The hand-held lasers concentrate...