Conservation of movable archaeological heritage
Objects taken from archaeological excavation sites are called "movable remains" or "movable archaeological property". They must be kept with care. It is by studying them, sometimes for many years, that researchers will be able to trace the history of men.
Preventive conservation
Excavated from dirt, water, a cave where they were sometimes for thousands of years, archaeological objects can be damaged in a few hours. They are suddenly exposed to drought or moisture, heat or cold, light or pollution. This can destroy them.
To keep them in good condition:
- take precautions when collecting them (do not scatter shards from a pottery, for example, and number them)
- give them proper care while they are being studied (for example, not allowing a wooden object found in water to dry out)
- store them in good conditions (store painted coatings in a special box, for example)
This is called “preventive conservation”.
The preservation of the movable remains is prepared from the programming of the archaeological operation. It is put into practice throughout the operation and continues in the places where the objects are deposited: repositories, conservation and study centers, and museums.
Methods, treatments, containers... How to better preserve archaeological furniture
The archaeologist identifies the most sensitive objects and materials. It determines what precautions must be taken to maintain the remains in a state of being studied and then preserved over time. He can call upon the conservator-restorer in archaeology, who specializes in the preventive conservation and restoration of archaeological remains.
The conservator-restorer in archaeology can act in the field during archaeological operations to make delicate samples (a clay ceramic in wet ground, a glass broken into a multitude of fragments, an antique mosaic or a medieval pavement, frescoes collapsed on the ground...).
It also intervenes once the excavation is completed by providing essential information for the understanding and restitution of certain objects so degraded that they can no longer be identified. He makes them «speak» to find their past and interpret the context in which they were found. For example, in a pile of rust it can detect a jewel, a weapon, a metal vase, a tool, with its decorations and elements made of other materials such as leather, wood or textile. By analyzing the micro-deposits taken from the bottom of a container, we can trace the composition of the drink it contained.
The conservator-restorer preserves the most fragile objects by making adapted boxes and supports. He also carries out expertise for the preventive conservation and long-term restoration of the remains in a depot, a conservation and study centre or a museum.
Better conservation for better study: selective conservation
Selection measures may be taken at each stage of an archaeological operation (prescription, field intervention, restoration of the remains to the State and final storage). They will make it possible to assess the scientific interest of the conservation of certain properties.
Sort to better preserve. Consult our practical sheets
Sustainable conservation and the policy of conservation and study centres
The Ministry of Culture conducts a policy of creation of conservation and study centers throughout the country, in order to gather the movable remains and archaeological documentation for a territory that can go from the commune or metropolis to the department or region.
Conservation and study centres:
- host the remains whose perennial conservation is necessary
- ensure effective preventive conservation
- ensure that researchers and students have easy access to documentation and objects for the continuation of the studies they have begun, the conduct of new research, and the publication of their results
- manage the movable archaeological remains (loan, storage...)
- carry out mediation actions for the public
Carried out by local authorities, the State or a partnership, the construction of a conservation and study centre must meet specifications guaranteeing the conservation of the remains.
The Centre for Conservation and Studies: Design it well, build it well
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