Book 24, Question 130
What happens to a fragile artifact after it comes out of the ground?
Once an artifact is dug up, air and light can start to damage it. Archaeologists brush off the soil gently, take photos, and note exactly where it was found. They wrap it in soft foam and send it to a lab. Conservators clean it, and they keep old wood wet until it can be treated so it will not crack.
More fun facts
- Experts who care for fragile finds are called conservators, not conservationists.
- Artifacts are often broken, decayed and very fragile when found, and careless handling can destroy them.
- Air and light can speed up decay. Their effects can quickly dull ancient colors and erase traces of old writing.
- Copper and bronze, a dark reddish gold when new, usually turn a powdery green in the ground, and iron turns a rusty, flaky red.
- Lifting a fragile object can make it crack, so it is often lifted out inside a block of soil that supports it.
- For waterlogged wood, the water inside its cells is slowly replaced with chemicals that keep it from drying out and collapsing.
- Touching a find or using the wrong chemicals can spoil it for later scientific tests.
- When finds are cleaned, charcoal is never washed or brushed. It is wrapped in foil and bagged separately.
Questions kids ask
Why does wood last so long in soggy ground?
The tiny living things that rot wood need air, and permanently waterlogged ground has very little.