Conservation of Archeaological Ships and Boats

The conservation of ships and boats is a monumental task which can take up to thirty years to complete, as it involves impregnating waterlogged timbers with an inert substance to prevent shrinkage. Once stablized, even drying can take more than five years. Therefore, these are not projects to be undertaken lightly. Conservation of ships and boats outlines the pitfalls to avoid and the strategies to adopt in order to successfully preserve archaeological ships and boats. The volume also covers safe disposal of waste, health and safety, energy-saving measures and engineering related to the conservation of these vessels. Contents: Foreword by James A. Spriggs, Conservation Consultant, York
Introduction – A very special task Chapter 1. From excavation to conservation Chapter 2. Wood in archaeological context Chapter 3. Two approaches to conserving a ship Chapter 4. Methods applying PEG Chapter 5. The sucrose method Chapter 6. The lactitol method Chapter 7. The Kauramin method with Markus Wittköpper, Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum, Mainz Chapter 8. Freeze-drying of waterlogged archaeological wood by Poul Jensen, Kristiane Straetkvern, Inger Bojesen-Koefoed and David Gregory, Nationalmuseet, Copenhagen
Chapter 9. Choosing the best method Chapter 10. From conservation to presentation Chapter 11. Do effort and money pay off in the end? Abbreviations Notes References Acknowledgements