Massenfunde in archäologischen Sammlungen

(Research project 2008 - 2011)

Archaeological wet wood and iron finds form two problematic groups within archaeological materials, as they begin to change and deteriorate as soon as they are removed from the ground. Until further treatment, the very fast progressing decay of the objects is usually tried to be minimised by storing them as properly as possible.

These damages are mostly irreversible and therefore to be avoided. There are some known solutions to these problems, but there has been a lack of comprehensive comparison and critical evaluation of the methods, objective evaluation of the methods, especially with regard to their applicability to large quantities of finds. This is where the project "Mass Finds in Archaeological Collections" came in. No new conservation methods were developed within the framework of the project. Rather, existing methods were compared in terms of effectiveness, effort and costs.

The aim of the project is to develop a guideline for dealing with mass finds of archaeological iron and damp wood finds, to support conservators and archaeologists in making professional decisions.

The project participants were the Archäologische Staatssammlung in Munich (ASS) and the Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum Mainz (RGZM). The ASS focused on the area of "iron finds" while the RGZM worked on the area of "archaeological wet wood". The project was led by Prof. Dr. Gebhard (ASS) and Prof. Dr. Egg (RGZM). A 3-year financial support of the project was provided by the Federal Cultural Foundation, from 15.04.2008 to 31.12.2011 within the framework of the "Programme for the Conservation and Restoration of Mobile Cultural Property" (KUR).

Funded under the KUR programme for the conservation and restoration of movable cultural property