International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar CONSERVATION OF UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS MANUAL II. edition Zadar, 2014. CONSERVATION OF UNDERWATER ARCHAEOLOGICAL FINDS MANUAL This Manual is intended for use at Advanced Course on the Restoration and Conservation of Underwater Archaeological Finds CONTENTS II. edition, Zadar, 2014. Editor: Bekiü Luka I. Underwater Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Convention 7 Authors: Bekiü Luka Bekiü Luka ûurkoviü Martina Jeliü Anita II. Guidelines, Ethics and the Methodology of Conservation - Restoration Work 14 Joziü Antonija Martinoviü Ivo Mustaþek Mladen Mustaþek Mladen III. Causes of the Decay of Archaeological Material 17 Perin Tanja Pešiü Mladen Mustaþek Mladen IV. The Conservation and Restoration of Ceramics and Pottery 26 Expert advisor: Tran Quoc Khoï, Atelier Régional de Conservation ARC-Nucléart CEA-Grenoble, France ûurkoviü Martina Translation to English: Ferenþiü Neven V. The Conservation and Restoration of Glass 39 ûurkoviü Martina Graphic design: Šimiþiü Marina VI. The Conservation and Restoration of Metal Finds 47 Press: Futuro I. S., Zadar Joziü Antonija VII. Organic Material 60 Edition: 200 Jeliü Anita Publisher: International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar VIII. The Conservation and Restoration of Stone Finds 76 B.Petranoviüa 1, HR-2300 Zadar, Croatia Martinoviü Ivo IX. The Handling, Packing, Transport and Storage of Underwater 84 Archaeological Finds Perin Tanja, Jeliü Anita X. In situ Protection of Underwater Cultural Heritage 97 Pešiü Mladen This Manual was initially created with the support of the UNESCO Venice Office. BIBLIOGRAPHY 108 INTERNET SOURCES 113 Not for sale CIP-Katalogizacija u publikaciji Znanstvena knjižnica Zadar UDK 902.034(497.5)(035) CONSERVATION of underwater archaeological finds : manual / <authors Luka Bekiü ... <et al.> ; editor Luka Bekiü ; translati- on to English Neven Ferenþiü>. - 2nd ed. - Zadar : International Centre for Underwater Archaeology in Zadar, 2014. - 116 str. : ilustr. (pretežno u bojama) ; 31 cm Bibliografija. ISBN 978-953-56855-1-7 1. Bekiü, Luka 140801029 Bekiü L.: Underwater Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Convention 7 I. Underwater Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Convention Luka Bekiü me. Sunken human formations (features) beca- [email protected] me increasingly accessible. And so people, irre- spective of the desires that motivated them, fo- und it easier to access the environment of these sunken formations and act upon them. A great INTRODUCTION deal of this human activity has led to the excavation, relocation, damaging and removal of Sunken ships, settlements and various other many underwater finds, whereby the sunken hidden and valuable finds in the depths of the formations have lost their characteristic attribu- sea have always stirred the interest of people tes and disappeared - a fact that has evoked and their desire to reach them. The motivations concern. to access these sunken traces of human pre- sence have been diverse. On the one hand the- re is the ever - present factor of human curiosity, desire for knowledge and an understanding of events around us and over time and, on the ot- her, a desire to gain wealth, including valuable and rare material property. Figure 2. Geldermalsen shipwrek auction catalogue (www.china.org.cn) Particularly detrimental were the many activities in which sunken objects were collected solely for their commercial value - a concept that gave no Figure 1. Typical representation of a myth of consideration whatsoever to the essence of the underwater treasures (www.etsy.com) find site and its future.There are many examples of various unscrupulous enterprises (treasure The traces of human activity that have disappe- hunters) that, under sundry arrangements, ared under the waves were once sundered from extracted (salvaged) numerous valuable finds, in our onshore existence by the significant obstac- the process destroying all the traces and data le of underwater depth. With time and human that might have been collected. progress this obstacle has largely been overco- Conservation of Underwater Archaeological Finds - MANUAL 8 Bekiü L.: Underwater Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Convention 9 The wreck of the Tek Sing was looted in the So- scientific approach to the research of THE PRINCIPLES uth China Sea - over 300 thousand pieces of underwater heritage, which encourages a res- The first principle is the obligation to valuable Chinese porcelain were salvaged in ponsible attitude towards underwater cultural heritage. These research endeavours, crowned protect cultural heritage for the benefit 1999 and later sold at auction. A British operator by comprehensive publication of the results of of humanity. Accordingly, states parti- salvaged over 126 gold bars and 160 thousand research and the exhibition of finds to the wider es to the Convention (signatories) porcelain items from the wreck of the Dutch ves- public have raised the level of awareness of the should protect underwater heritage. sel Geldermalsen near Nanjing, later sold at au- real value of this heritage. Each state implements this protection ction. Certainly the richest shipwreck is the Spa- in accordance with its capabilities, nish galleon Nuestra Señora de Atocha found Estimates put the number of sunken vessels in and if it is not able to undertake rese- off the Florida coast and ransacked by a private the world's seas at over three million. A great arch of an archaeological site, it is number of once populated settlements are also enough that it provides appropriate company in a most destructive fashion to extract now underwater, as are many other diverse and protection of the site. The Convention its cargo of gold and other objects, subsequently Figure 5. Uluburun wreck, reconstruction at Bodrum Museum encourages scientific research of sites not easily discernable traces of habitation and (en.wikipedia.org) sold through various channels. The list of looted activity. That truly valuable cultural heritage is to and public access. shipwrecks is a long one and still growing. be found underwater is more than evident. 1996 ICOMOS Charter on the Pro- tection and Management of the The past few decades have seen numerous initi- Underwater Cultural Heritage came atives at the national level, and a great many as a major step forward. It was on laws and regulations have been adopted gover- the basis of this charter that the ning the methods whereby underwater heritage UNESCO Convention on the Pro- is protected. These rules were, however, diver- tection of the Underwater Cultural se, and, as a result, cooperation at the internati- Heritage was finally adopted in onal level was launched with the aim of harmoni- 2001. This was followed by its ratifi- sing and broadening the efforts targeted to pro- cation in some forty countries, ma- tection to as many countries as possible. king this to date the most important Following various initiatives the adoption of the international achievement in the legal protection of underwater heri- tage. This convention defines underwater heritage as all traces of Figure 6. The bow of the Titanic shipwreck (wavesnewsletter.com) human activity that possess a cultu- ral, historic or archaeological significance and PRESERVATION that were sunk at least 100 years ago. This has set the legal grounds for the preservation of this The Convention considers the preservation of heritage at the global level. underwater cultural heritage at its original locati- on, on the seabed, the first option, having prece- dence over all others. Objects may be collected Figure 3. The treasure of the wreck of the Nuestra Señora THE CONVENTION if this serves to rescue them from unavoidable de Atocha at Mel Fisher Days (www.schoonerwharf.com) destruction as a result of, for example, construc- tion work, or if collection constitutes a significant As a result, the period following World War II The 2001 UNESCO Convention on the Protecti- contribution to the protection and research of was noteworthy insofar as consideration was on of the Underwater Cultural Heritage aims to underwater cultural heritage. given for the first time to the need to afford more see states afford better protection to their care to the methods of accessing individual underwater heritage. The cornerstones of the NO COMMERCIAL EXPLOITATION underwater finds, with the aim of properly pro- Convention set out the basic principles for the tecting and researching underwater human heri- protection of cultural heritage, foresee a detailed The Convention establishes that there may be tage and preserving as much of the remains as system of cooperation among countries and es- no commercial exploitation of underwater herita- possible for posterity. As a counter to the looting tablish generally accepted rules for the treat- ge for the purpose of trade. Finds may also not undertaken by various private enterprises the ment and research of underwater cultural herit- be dispersed in a fashion that would prevent past half-century has seen a broadening of the Figure 4. Uluburun wreck - recovering ingots 1, 2 ge. (archaeologyhouston.wordpress.com) their subsequent location. These provisions are Conservation of Underwater Archaeological Finds - MANUAL 10 Bekiü L.: Underwater Cultural Heritage and the UNESCO Convention 11 in line with the moral principles applicable to OTHER KEY PROVISIONS The Annex makes several references to the con- cultural heritage on land and do not prevent ar- servation and restoration of finds. Rule 10, for chaeological research or tourist visits