“A Conservator’s Perspective on Ancient Metallurgy.”

Metals, 2007

The display of archaeological metal artefacts presents one of the most challenging environmental problems, with rapid deterioration being commonly observed for both iron and copper alloy artefacts. One method used to prevent corrosion occurring is to store and display such artefacts in low RH environments. Thus removing one of the factors required for deterioration. In order to achieve this modifications have been made to off-the-shelf display case designs. Monitoring of the modified display cases over a year have shown low RH environments can be created and used successfully to display archaeological iron.

Iron, Steel & Steam, Fremantle, Australia, June 26-27 2006. Special publication, Australian National Centre of Excellence for Maritime Archaeology No. 13. Ed M. McCarthy. , 2009

Nearly 140 years after its historic naval engagement with the Union sloop-of-war USS Housatonic, the American Civil War submarine H.L. Hunley was successfully recovered in its entirety from the Atlantic Ocean in August 2000. This historic vessel was immediately brought to the Warren Lasch Conservation Laboratory in Charleston, South Carolina to be excavated and conserved in a controlled environment. One of the most significant challenges facing the conservation team responsible for H.L. Hunley’s stabilization will be the effective removal of chloride from the submarine’s heavily corroded iron hull. Because H.L. Hunley’s size and complexity make it a particularly unique case within the discipline of archaeological conservation, Hunley Project scientists compiled and reviewed the relatively small number of pre-existing conservation projects of comparable scale to help them identify major technical issues that could arise during ongoing treatment of the submarine. This article will examine technical and ethical issues that have arisen from past efforts to conserve large-scale iron archaeological objects recovered from marine environments, and address the practical implications these precursors have had on H.L. Hunley’s Conservation Plan.

Revue de Métallurgie, 2001

This paper aims to show different ways the original surface of archaeological metal artifacts can be preserved in the corrosion products. Depending on the corrosion mechanism, the original surface can be located thanks to some features used as clues : remains of metallurgical structure fossilized in the corrosion products, content of elements either coming from the soil or from the original alloy, cleavage occurring at some corrosion interface. Moreover, some of the features of the corrosion layers can be compared to what happens at the very beginning of the corrosion despite a relative gap in knowledge regarding the very long-term corrosion mechanisms. This statue was discovered by chance about 50 years ago in Petra. This bronze-the biggest ever found in Jordan-is supposed to be a representation of the goddess Artemis and is dated back to the Roman period (3). If we examine closely the way this bronze (Sn 7 % p.w.) has corroded, we will find two types of corrosion often on the same areas. These both types are in accordance with the recent works of Robbiola (4).

2013

In this study, different invasive and non-invasive approaches to the conservation of heavily corroded archaeological iron finds are assessed in order to extract as much information as possible from these objects. A survey of the research potential of archaeological finds results in four levels of information that will be considered in every step of the conservation process for iron finds. Examples of different conservation techniques for iron objects, mostly from burial sites, ranging from standard conventional X-ray radiography, in combination with partial cleaning, to Computed Tomography (CT), are evaluated in regard to the information they reveal that is relevant to the archaeological research. Ultimately, a well thought out balance between common methods and new techniques will result in the most effective approach.

Heritage: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies in Archaeology, 2014

Collections acquired through archaeological excavations need utmost care since they are vulnerable to the surrounding. As they vary in nature from organic, inorganic to composite materials (from stone to bone; metal to ceramics); soon after the removal from the buried context, start showing effects of the new environments they are exposed to. Out of the unearthed collections, especially metal artifacts are prone to deterioration and corrosion. This paper is an attempt to discuss the conservation measures to be taken up for metal artifacts. The present paper also discusses the conservation measures undertaken for about 150 copper/bronze artifacts from the Museum of Archaeology collection.

Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, 2020

Although studies of production traces and use-wear in copper and bronze artefacts have been conducted already for a few decades, the influence of the conservation on these items did not receive much scholarly attention. It seems quite surprising, as traceological analyses focus most often on conserved artefacts from museum collections. In the following article, the authors examine the impact the conservation has on traces of production and use-wear in bronze artefacts coming from three Bronze Age hoards: Karmin IV, Paszowice and Lubnowy Wielkie. All deposits have been analysed both before and after the conservation. Our results show that traces of production and use-wear might either become highlighted or fade in the conservation process. Thus, we should be extremely cautious when examining copper and bronze artefacts for the presence of these traces. The problem is especially critical for items which were not examined directly after the discovery but come from the already conserved museum collections.

Corrosion and conservation of cultural heritage metallic artefacts W o o d h e a d P u b l i s h i n g L i m i t e d

A spearhead of archaeological and cultural significance has been found and analysed in Serbia. In the corrosion products of the artefact, the dominant phases were goethite (α-FeO(OH)) and magnetite (Fe 3 O 4) whose presence explains a good preservation of the base metal, iron, over the centuries and the artefact stability after excavation. Besides goethite and magnetite, the corrosion products were identified to contain, to a lesser extent, less stable lepidocrocite (γ-FeO(OH)) and the phases that come from the rocks and soil from the surrounding environment (plagioclase). The phases containing chloride ions were not detected in the corrosion products (akaganéite, β-Fe 8 O 8 (OH) 8 Cl 1.35), which indirectly indicates that the content of chloride ions was not significant in the underground exploitation conditions. The lack of chloride ions also contributed to the corrosion stability of the artefact during the period after excavation.

iron-colloquium.abk-stuttgart.de

he conservation work on the pilgrim's lask from Casale del Fosso necropolis is a part of more comprehensive study project, which aims to examine issues that are connected to archaeological metals and its conservation problems. From the conservative point of view the main interest is directed toward the testing of new molecules, already developed by the National Research Council, in the stabilization phase of archaeological artefacts. In order To perform this study a group of objects in copper alloy, including the lask, from the necropolis of Veio-Casale del Fosso have been already selected and analyzed