CONSERVATION OF WATERLOGGED ARCHAEOLOGICAL WOOD

A stroll round a museum is relaxing, but within the display cabinets l urk artefacts of considerable chemical and physical complexity. It is the conservators job to stabilize these, and make them suitable for di splay and study In perpetuity. One of the most difficult and time cons uming materials to treat is waterlogged wood. Here the origin, and som e of the solutions, to the problems posed by its conservation are revi ewed.