Conservation of Archaeological Objects Made of Charred Wood from the Tesinskaya Culture Crypt at Skalnaya-5 Burial Site, the Republic of Khakassia

Abstract

Despite repeated looting, the Tesinskаyа culture burial sites in the Republic of Khakassia cache unexpected finds. The rarest but therefore most valuable are those made from organic materials. In 2021, unique wooden artefacts which preserved because of the burning process that took place nearby were unearthed at such burial site. While in situ, the charred finds looked solid, but their changed chemical composition made them incredibly susceptible to the slightest changes in temperature and humidity, and consequently extremely fragile. In this article we present a program of conservation and restoration measures for the preservation of dilapidated archaeological objects based on current domestic and foreign methods and recommendations, which was specially selected for and tested directly on the objects with aforementioned degree of preservation.