The conservation of archaeological textiles

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Conservation treatment of archaeological textiles. Photo C. Margariti.

Conservation treatment of archaeological textiles. Photo C. Margariti.

The main aims of the conservation of excavated textiles are to ideally produce a surrogate object through detailed documentation, to ensure the longevity of the material, to make the find accessible for future study, and to store it at appropriate conditions. According to the profession’s code of ethics any conservation treatment should be limited to a minimum. For example, interventive treatments like consolidation that might alter the find, should be applied in rare cases, and only when absolutely necessary, and should be limited to a minimum degree and extent.