Archaeological Conservation

[article in Spanish]

CONSERVATION OF BONE REMAINS AND STONE TOOLS OF THE PLEISTOCENE SITES OF THE TRINCHERA DEL FERROCARRIL (ATAPUERCA, BURGOS)

This article describes the restoration works carried out on the sites of the Trinchera del ferrocarril: Galeria, Gran Dolina and Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos). We summarize the main aspects related to conservation: from the role of this discipline within the research team to the main problems that the materials recovered present and the specific treatments of conservation that we apply on them. We describe reality: the daily work on the sites and at the respective research institutions. After some years of research and systematic field campaigns, Conservation has progressively been incorporated into the work carried out by the research team and nowadays it is a discipline fully individualized although closely  related to the rest of specialties.

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En este artículo se describen los trabajos de restauración que se llevan a cabo en los yacimientos de la Trinchera del Ferrocarril: Galería, Gran Dolina y Sima del Elefante (Sierra de Atapuerca, Burgos). Se sintetizan los aspectos fundamentales
relacionados con la Restauración, desde el papel que desempeña
esta disciplina dentro del equipo de investigación, hasta los principales problemas que presentan los materiales recuperados  en estos yacimientos y los  tratamientos específicos que se les aplican. Se ofrece un retrato fiel a la realidad, en el que se muestra la práctica cotidiana en los yacimientos y en los respectivos centros de investigación. Tras varios años de excavaciones y  estudios sistemáticos, la Restauración se ha ido incorporando de manera progresiva al trabajo que realiza el equipo de investigación de manera que, en la actualidad, es una disciplina plenamente individualizada aunque estrechamente relacionada con el resto de las especialidades.

Las estructuras del patrimonio arquitectónico, tanto por su naturaleza como por su historia (en lo que se refiere al material y a su ensamblaje), están sometidas a una serie de dificultades de diagnóstico y restauración, que limitan la aplicación de las disposiciones normativas y las pautas vigentes en el ámbito de la construcción. Ello hace tan deseable como necesario formular unas recomendaciones que garanticen la aplicación de unos métodos racionales de análisis y restauración, adecuados a cada contexto cultural.

Fase cruciale nella storia del restauro italiana è quella coincidente con i decenni compresi tra la fine dell'Ottocento e gli inizi del Novecento, segnati dall'evoluzione, non priva di equivoci, da una prassi diffusamente improntata alla ricerca dello 'stile' verso un rapporto più consapevole con il significato storico dell'architettura. Il territorio cui si rivolge l'attenzione è quello delle 'provincie meridionali' che, disposte tra il Molise e l'estremo sud della Calabria, sono accomunate dalla gestione delle Belle Arti e del restauro negli anni fin de siècle. La messa a fuoco di piccoli e grandi cantieri, talvolta più noti alla critica e più spesso misconosciuti, conferisce risalto a figure-chiave di architetti e ingegneri restauratori e tra queste, primariamente, a quella di Adolfo Avena. Sebbene più noto come progettista di numerose nuove architetture, questi ha in larga parte diretto le scelte per la conservazione del patrimonio architettonico del Meridione d'Italia in modo pregnante a partire dall'ultimo decennio dell'Ottocento, attraverso studi, pubblicazioni e progetti. Guardando alle relazioni tra storiografia coeva e restauro, tra interpretazione di momenti della Storia e giudizi di valore, tra acquisizioni tecniche e scelte operative, emergono stimolanti interrogativi connessi al significato 'identitario' dei monumenti con lo sfondo di una prospettiva nazionale della questione.

Ceramic material is certainly a key element in the cultural heritage, particularly in historical buildings. This material involves specific problems when addressing preservation, as well as conservation and restoration interventions.
This course is coordinated by International Association YOUTH IN CONSERVATION OF CULTURAL HERITAGE-YOCOCU Spain, co-organized by Geosciences Institute IGEO (CSIC, UCM), Spanish Society of Ceramics and Glass (SECV) and the Ceramic and Glass Institute (ICV-CSIC) and sponsored by ECerS, the JECS Trust and SECV.
The main goal of the course is to offer a training program of short duration focused on the ceramic material used in architectural heritage, including structural and decorative elements. Raw materials and technologies used for manufacturing, alteration and decay processes, characterization techniques for study and analysis, as well as new trends in conservation treatments will be addressed.

"Earlier provisional title was "Archaeology, Tourism, Museum...."

"This chapter is divided into two distinct sections that are positioned in a point-counterpoint structure of dialogue. These two position statements invoke the etymological meanings of the word essay, to attempt, put to the test, trial, to act out, to explore, travel, and travail. The first is an historical analysis written in the third person by an anthropologist whose expertise includes the ethnography of archaeology and the anthropology of tourism. The second is a counterpoint commentary written in the first person by an anthropologist whose specializations include Pre-Columbian and historical archaeology. Both of us have significant research experience in same area of the Maya world in Yucatán, México. From these two differing vantage points, we chart our perspectives on the relationship between archaeology and tourism in terms of the problems of exploration, protection, and exploitation.
In the first section, Castañeda takes an historical approach to the emergence of archaeology in the institutional context of the modern museum. He essays an analytical and theoretical manifesto about the deep, intimate interconnections between tourism and archaeology as revealed through an understanding of the museum. In his historical analysis of the role of archaeological representation in the museum, he identifies the sociological creation of universal heritage. He theorizes a notion of the universal citizen-heir as the implied benefactor of this universal heritage. In the second section, Mathews elaborates a commentary on this historical analysis of archaeology, tourism, heritage and the museum. Specifically, she counter-argues and assesses Castañeda theoretical and analytical claims through the use of archaeology and tourism at sites that are not postcard worthy. Together these two “attempts” grapple with the historical and contemporary interconnections between archaeology and tourism. Together we put to the test our typical assumptions about the ethics of archaeologists, tourists, and tourism promoters in the contemporary contexts in which we are now beginning to ask how and why archaeology and tourism are interwoven phenomena in today’s world.""

Until 1993 there were conducted first excavations in what promised to be the site of one of the most important buildings of Petra, the stunning capital of the Nabataean kingdom. Its construction, whose initiation century BC, several changes, reconstructions and landslides along its more than five hundred years of operation. But despite this still unknown for certain functions for which it was designed and that, regardless of the construction elements, materials have been located just still less inscriptions that shed some light on a mystery that will try here exhibit various theories that enable closer to resolution.

Despite an increasing literature on the decomposition of human remains, whether buried or exposed, it is important to recognise the role of specific microenvironments which can either trigger or delay the rate of decomposition. Recent casework in Northern England involving buried and partially buried human remains has demonstrated a need for a more detailed understanding of the effect of contrasting site conditions on cadaver decomposition and on the microenvironment created within the grave itself. Pigs (Sus scrofa) were used as body analogues in three interrelated taphonomy experiments to examine differential decomposition of buried human remains. They were buried at three contrasting field sites (pasture, moorland, and deciduous woodland) within a 15 km radius of the University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK. Changes to the buried body and the effect of these changes on hair and associated death-scene textile materials were monitored as was the microenvironment of the grave. At recovery, 6, 12 and 24 months post-burial, the extent of soft tissue decomposition was recorded and samples of fat and soil were collected for gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis. The results of these studies demonstrated that (1) soil conditions at these three burial sites has a marked effect on the condition of the buried body but even within a single site variation can occur; (2) the process of soft tissue decomposition modifies the localised burial microenvironment in terms of microbiological load, pH, moisture and changes in redox status. These observations have widespread application for the investigation of clandestine burial and time since deposition, and in understanding changes within the burial microenvironment that may impact on biomaterials such as hair and other associated death scene materials.

Los yacimientos olvidados: registro y musealización de campos de batalla is a project that aims to encompass all aspects of battlefield archaeology, in order to be a reference work in this study area. Therefore, a detailed historiographical study about this branch of archaeology has been made, from early origins until the present day, allowing us to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution of battlefield archaeology. Two methodologies, archaeological and museographical, are proposed for the treatment of this particular type of archaeological site. In order to prove the viability of both methodologies, a theoretical application has been carried out in two research examples from different periods, demonstrating both the project’s methodological validity and reinforcing our theories.

Two registers were made regarding battlefields ¬- one historical and another archaeological. The purpose of this was to catalogue all possible existing sites in the interior of the Iberian Peninsula from Roman times through to the Spanish Civil War, which will hopefully serve as a point of reference for future researchers. Through this book, people will be able to understand the great potential of Spanish battlefields and their heritage. Furthermore, Spain could be regarded as a very important country regarding battlefield archaeology.

One of the most important and spectacular events in the history of space exploration was the first Moon Landing of 1969. Safe from the ravages of erosion, agriculture, industry or the expansion of human settlement, the greatest threat to the site of this momentous event - Tranquillity Base - is likely to be from a meteor impact. However, with the advent of space tourism and commercial space travel, the site of humankind's first visit to a celestial body may come under threat of a different kind - that of souvenir hunters and miners. In this paper, the historical background to the Apollo programme is outlined and the sequence of events that made up the Apollo 11 mission, which conducted the first Moon landing, is described before concluding with a consideration of the heritage conservation issues of Tranquillity Base.

The Herculaneum Conservation Project (HCP) is a project of the Packard Humanities Institute in collaboration with the Soprintendenza Archeologica di Pompei and the British School at Rome. The project arose from a recognition of the risks to the survival of the unique and irreplaceable heritage to be found in Herculaneum. Its aim is both to support the Italian heritage agency in the protection and preservation of the site, and to extend scientific understanding and public interest and wareness. The most immediate task is to halt the widespread decay afflicting the entire site. The longer-term aim is to develop a conservation strategy which will ensure its survival, understanding and enhancement. The project aspires to learn lessons that will not only feed into the management of the site of Herculaneum, but that can enrich conservation working ractices in Pompeii and elsewhere.
In 2006 trials were launched to see how three-dimensional laser scanning could help the project, not only in terms of documentation, but also as a tool for monitoring decay and informing conservation decisions, and as a source of rich but accurate visual material to illustrate areas of the site currently closed for conservation works and thereby enhance the visitor experience. In collaboration with the University of North Carolina, the Suburban Baths were chosen for trial survey work with a 3rdTech Inc. DeltaSphere-3000 laser scanner.
This Roman bathing complex is remarkably well-preserved with intact wood, metal and decorative features, but the delicate nature of these architectural features together with a variety of grave conservation problems throughout the structure mean the
area is currently closed to visitors. The 3D survey work was carried out as an analytical basis for the technical/scientific studies that are underway in this building in order to conserve it and reopen it to the public. This paper describes the experience of the HCP team using the 3D laser scanner, and discusses the success and challenges of the work and the potential applications the results have both for the mix of heritage professionals working within the HCP team and for the wider public.

""En Filipo II y el Arte de la Guerra tendremos la oportunidad de conocer en profundidad a uno de los más grandes reyes de la antigua Macedonia. Gracias a su habilidad como estratega, diplomático, político y soldado, heredó un reino pobre, débil y acosado por innumerables enemigos y lo transformó en el más poderoso de toda Grecia.

A lo largo de sus páginas podremos conocer la historia del reino Macedonio, desde sus orígenes míticos hasta la formación de un imperio, de la mano del que, a la postre, se convertiría en el padre del mítico Alejandro Magno y en el forjador de un nuevo ejército que cambiaria el devenir de la guerra en la Antigüedad. Filipo II fue el creador de la falange macedonia, formación que se demostraría como inigualable en el campo de batalla y que reportaría incontables victorias sobre poderosos enemigos, como los ilirios, los tesalios, los tracios, los beocios o los atenienses. Pero no sólo eso, logró integrar en el campo de batalla a la infantería y a la caballería para emplearlos en nuevas formaciones tácticas: armó a sus soldados con las míticas sarissas y apreció como pocos las posibilidades militares que la maquinaria de guerra podía proporcionarle, siendo el mecenas de numerosos avances en este campo. Soñó con conquistar el Imperio persa, cuando ya había logrado lo que nadie antes fue capaz: el control de Grecia.

Sólo la muerte le arrebató esa hazaña, pero sentó las bases de lo que más tarde conseguiría su propio hijo. Su figura levantó tanto odios como pasiones; se le conocía como mujeriego y bebedor, pero también por su habilidad para la oratoria, por sus astucia, determinación y valor. Siempre luchó en primera línea junto a sus soldados y nunca permitió que éstos le llamaran rey, sino solo "General".

Un exceptionnel sanctuaire à armes daté de la période laténienne, découvert lors d’une opération de diagnostic archéologique conduite à Ablis (Yvelines) par l’INRAP en novembre 2013, a suscité la réalisation d’une fouille programmée et la mise en place d’une chaîne de conservation, dite « de la fouille au musée », garantissant le suivi des données de terrain et la conservation de vestiges qui sont majoritairement en alliage ferreux. L’article présente les premiers résultats de cette expérience pilote en matière de méthodes d’enregistrement des données de terrain, de conservation du mobilier métallique, d’étude du site et d’analyse morphologique et stylistique du matériel par les nouvelles technologies (photogrammétrie, tomographie industrielle, microscopie 3D, etc.). Cette collaboration est aussi l’opportunité de former les étudiants en archéologie et en conservation à la préservation des métaux tout au long de la chaîne archéologique.

Since the Staffordshire Hoard's discovery in 2009, soil removal has been carried out over several years by conservators working with the Staffordshire Hoard Conservation Project at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery. As a case study, this essay examines the practical and philosophical considerations that arose during the author's cleaning of object K1195, a gold and garnet cloisonné sword pommel cap, in 2012. Cleaning – understood as a culturally determined intervention that enacts permanent change on an object – is a frequent subject of debate within cultural heritage preservation. This essay considers the cleaning of an archaeological object with respect to its ontological status, borrowing concepts employed in the conservation of modern and contemporary works of art.

Despite a long history of research and conservation dating back to the late 19th century, when the current stage in the management of the three large Antequeran megalithic monuments started in 2004 there was an almost complete absence of high-resolution cartography to support their study and protection. To being to solve this severe deficiency, a high-resolution cartographic survey of Menga through terrestrial laser scanning, 3D modelling and photogrammetry was carried out in 2005. In this paper we present a short summary of that work, describing its technical and conceptual basis as well as the results that were obtained. In addition, we briefly discuss some examples of the highly positive impact this newly developed cartography has had on the management and research of this megalithic monument.

El estudio de los procesos de alteración de la piedra que forma parte del patrimonio cultural goza ya de una larga tradición y de amplios conocimientos consensuados por la comunidad científica. Sin embargo el material pétreo procedente de yacimientos arqueológicos padece unas alteraciones y procesos de degradación particulares. Estos yacimientos a diferencia de los edificios históricos, han permanecido bajo tierra, en la fase de enterramiento, durante varios siglos en la mayoría de los
casos, una particularidad que condiciona irremediablemente las características de la piedra y su estado de conservación tras la excavación. En este artículo se hace un análisis de las particularidades que definen el estado de conservación del material pétreo en contextos arqueológicos, para luego analizar el caso de algunos de los sitios arqueológicos más emblemáticos del conjunto emeritense, prestando especial
atención a los agentes de deterioro de tipo antrópico.

Kathy PERRIN, Duncan H. BROWN, Guus LANGE, David BIBBY, Annika CARLSSON, Ann DEGRAEVE, Martin KUNA, Ylva LARSSON, Sólborg Una PÁLSDÓTTIR, Bettina STOLL-TUCKER, Cynthia DUNNING, Aurélie ROGALLA VON BIEBERSTEIN

The activities of the EAC-working party for archaeological archives resulted in the EU co-funded ARCHES project to establish common standards and guidance for the creation, preparation and deposition of archaeological archives in Europe.
The resulting "Standard and Guide to Best Practice in Archaeological Archiving in Europe" was published online on 31st May 2014 as the EAC Guidelines 1. The text is available in nine languages.
The "Standard and Guide…" addresses archiving issues at all stages of an archaeological project regarding all elements of the archive. It is applicable to the compilation of new archives as well as to the existing ones and should, when possible, be regarded as a standard to be applied also by repositories.

The Pleistocene record can be simultaneously studied from different disciplines within the fields of
archaeology and palaeontology. Each of these disciplines seeks slightly different information and makes
use of different methodologies. These differences may change the goal of the conservation treatments,
affect the degree of intervention or require the limited application of certain techniques and materials.
This article discusses the basic reasons why some researchers may request a closer focus on recovering
the original appearance of the bones while others require their taphonomic modifications to remain
intact. Further research into the needs of archaeopalaeontological studies and into adjusting conservation
aims and methods to meet those needs would help to maximize the recovery and preservation of
the information that fossils contain.

The story of the conservation, restoration and museum display of materials from the Roman Villa of Sant’Imbenia is narrated by the project’s key players. The decorative scheme of a space on the second floor of the opulent Roman domus was reconstructed thanks to a thorough investigation into the materials’ nature and history. Marble, stucco and fresco fragments were restored and reassembled to form opus sectile floors, wall veneer, decorative reliefs and ceilings with frescoed cupolae. The interpretative reconstruction, now on display in the Museo della Città in Alghero, is presented as the project’s logical conclusion. The curatorial choice of illuminating the reconstructed room with a window that opens onto the Villa’s original landscape marks the will to leave an open door to future archaeological investigations.
In Italian and English

How do you lift and handle fragile artifacts in the field? How do you properly clean these objects and other items once you get them back to the lab? How should archaeological materials be labeled and stored? This all-day workshop will address the practical realities of preserving large quantities of materials typically found at both historic and prehistoric sites in California which are subject to rapid decay soon after excavation. It will not only provide basic information on cleaning and storage, but will also present guidelines for incorporating conservation into the budgeting process. The workshop will include hands-on participation and all participants will be provided with a notebook for future reference.

Author: Ninina Cuomo di Caprio
Publication Date: October 31 2017
Publisher: L'ERMA di BRETSCHNEIDER
Series: Manuali L'ERMA, 2
ISBN: 978-88-913-1012-5 (Print)
ISBN: 978-88-913-1014-9 (E-Book)
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 700, 260 ill. B/N
Size: 21 x 28 cm
From the Foreword by prof. David P. Peacock, University of Southampton, UK
This manual on pottery-making in antiquity is a compendium of almost everything bearing on the interpretation of ancient ceramics in antiquity Because of this, it is likely to remain a standard work for many years to come. Both the student and the more experienced researcher will benefit from this book and will find it easy to follow because of the lively presentation. The whole subject of ceramics is here, from clay acquisition to kilns and firing, backed with an extensive bibliography. It is a work of reference which should have a place on every archaeologist' s bookshelf from their first day at University until retirement
Part Two is titled Modern Laboratory Techniques and provides a summary of the most widely used scientific techniques which can aid the archaeologist in the understanding and interpretation of ancient ceramics.
Cuomo di Caprio, Ninina - Essential Bibliography:
1972 Proposta di classificazione delle fornaci per ceramica e laterizi nell'  area italiana, in Sibrium 11, 1971-72, pp. 371-464
1982 Ceramica rustica tradizionale in Puglia, Galatina, Lecce 1982
1985 La ceramica in archeologia. Antiche tecniche di lavorazione e moderne tecniche di analisi, Rome 1985 (reprinted 1988)
1992 Fornaci e officine da vasaio tardo ellenistiche, Morgantina Studies, vol. III, Princeton, New Jersey 1992
1993 La galleria dei falsi. Dal vasaio al mercato di antiquariato, Rome 1993
2007 Ceramica in archeologia 2. Antiche tecniche di lavorazione e moderne tecniche di analisi, (enlarged and revised 1985 edition), Rome      2007.

In english and italian. The story of the conservation, restoration and museum display of materials from the Roman Villa of Sant’Imbenia is narrated by the project’s key players. The decorative scheme of a space on the second floor of the opulent Roman domus was reconstructed thanks to a thorough investigation into the materials’ nature and history. Marble, stucco and fresco fragments were restored and reassembled to form opus sectile floors, wall veneer, decorative reliefs and ceilings with frescoed cupolae.  The interpretative reconstruction, now on display in the Museo della Città in Alghero, is presented as the project’s logical conclusion. The curatorial choice of illuminating the reconstructed room with a window that opens onto the Villa’s original landscape marks the will to leave an open door to future archaeological investigations.

A common terminology developed for the conservation of cultural heritage, adopted at the 2008 ICOM-CC (International Council of Museum Committee for Conservation conference, New Delhi), has removed ambiguity and helped conservation and restoration specialists to communicate more clearly and accurately.