Frühmittelalterliche silbertauschierte Eisenschnallenplatte aus Erpfting – Eingangszustand, Röntgenaufnahme und Endzustand

Mass finds in archaeological collections

Funded through the KUR – Programme for the Conservation of Moveable Cultural Assets

Due to large building excavation projects and the drainage of swamps and moors, archaeological agencies and collections have been confronted with an extraordinary number of archaeological finds. One of the largest unsolved problems is how best to preserve iron and waterlogged wooden objects. Iron begins to rust as soon as it comes in contact with air, and wet wood contracts and irreversibly deforms as it dries.
Various methods are used to preserve these finds, yet they had neither been critically nor systematically compared. No widely accepted standards existed. By scientifically comparing the conventional procedures, the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection in Munich developed guidelines for preserving iron artefacts and organic materials, starting from the moment they are excavated to their exhibition or storage in the museum’s storerooms. The results of this KUR project will benefit other archaeological agencies and collections and help preserve ancient iron and saturated wooden artefacts for future research and the public for years to come.

Project administrator:

Bavarian State Archaeological Collection, Munich

Cooperative partners:

Roman-Germanic Central Museum, Mainz

Technische Universität Munich

Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz

Stuttgart State Academy of Art and Design

Date:
27.01.2012 - 06.05.2012	Archäologische Staatssammlung München, München	Exhibition
Shrinking Wood, Expanding Iron An exhibition on the KUR conservation project “Mass Finds in Archaeological Collections” For conservators, excavated wood and iron are among the most difficult materials to preserve. Although they survive thousands of years under the ground, as soon as they are removed, they begin to disintegrate almost immediately. The wooden artefacts begin to shrink and deform as a result of uncontrolled drying, while iron slowly bursts from the voluminous corrosion taking place inside. Especially when numerous artefacts are discovered, it is necessary to conserve the specimens as quickly as possible. As part of the three-year KUR project “Mass Finds in Archaeological Collections”, the project organizers selected the most commonly used wood and iron conservation methods and compared them at the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection in Munich and the Romano-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz. The exhibition “Shrinking Wood, Expanding Iron” is the first of its kind to explore the problems related to excavated wood and iron conservation and the various approaches used to solving these problems in a way that even laypeople can understand. The specimens provide insight into the daily work of the project and shed light on the lesser known scientific aspects of conservation. The exhibition will be shown at the Romano-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz from 13 June to 16 September 2012.

Date:

27.01.2012 - 06.05.2012

Archäologische Staatssammlung München, München

Exhibition

Shrinking Wood, Expanding Iron
An exhibition on the KUR conservation project “Mass Finds in Archaeological Collections”

For conservators, excavated wood and iron are among the most difficult materials to preserve. Although they survive thousands of years under the ground, as soon as they are removed, they begin to disintegrate almost immediately. The wooden artefacts begin to shrink and deform as a result of uncontrolled drying, while iron slowly bursts from the voluminous corrosion taking place inside. Especially when numerous artefacts are discovered, it is necessary to conserve the specimens as quickly as possible.
As part of the three-year KUR project “Mass Finds in Archaeological Collections”, the project organizers selected the most commonly used wood and iron conservation methods and compared them at the Bavarian State Archaeological Collection in Munich and the Romano-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz.
The exhibition “Shrinking Wood, Expanding Iron” is the first of its kind to explore the problems related to excavated wood and iron conservation and the various approaches used to solving these problems in a way that even laypeople can understand. The specimens provide insight into the daily work of the project and shed light on the lesser known scientific aspects of conservation.

The exhibition will be shown at the Romano-Germanic Central Museum in Mainz from 13 June to 16 September 2012.

Contact:

Prof. Dr. Rupert Gebhard
Archäologische Staatssammlung
Lerchenfeldstraße 2
80538 München
Tel.: +49 (0)89 21124468
www.archaeologie-bayern.de

KUR Programme

The KUR Programme for the Conservation of Moveable Cultural Assets was jointly initiated by the Federal Cultural Foundation and the Foundation of German States. From 2007 to 2011, the programme funded 26 projects which helped safeguard acutely threatened objects and collections of great cultural-historical significance.

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