The degradation of archaeological bronzes underground: evidence from museum collections

• Autores: Inga Ullén, Anders G. Nord, Monica Fjaestad, Einar Mattsson, Gunnar Ch. Borg, Kate Tronner
• Localización: Antiquity, ISSN 0003-598X, Vol. 78, Nº 300, 2004, págs. 380-390
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • This interdisciplinary project, initiated by the National Heritage Board in Sweden, was undertaken to determine the environmental factors affecting the deterioration of archaeological bronzes in Scandinavia – while they still lie underground. The possible influence of soil acidification was obviously of special interest. The method was to examine 3200 prehistoric bronze artefacts from different museum collections in Sweden and Norway and compare the condition of specimens dug up in different areas at different times. The results showed that the condition of excavated bronzes had greatly deteriorated during the last 50–60 years, particularly along the North West Coast of Sweden, where the soil is very sensitive to pollutants. The archaeological context, e.g. the burial rite, was also among the factors influencing the preservation of the artefacts.