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The paper presents the results of the restoration and conservation work which has been carried out in three archaeological areas in the Autonomous Province of Trento. The areas, which have been opened to the public for more than ten years, are the open-air archaeological site of Monte S. Martino, Roman Tridentum (an underground site under the historical city centre of Trento), and Fiavé (a pile dwelling site in a peat bog). These areas present very different environmental characteristics and have therefore required different interventions according to their specific situation. In order to reduce maintenance and extraordinary costs, appropriate conservation of the archaeological remains is required. This consists of methodologies of conservation according to the characteristics of the environment; continuous monitoring systems and indirect preventive intervention; and annual maintenance planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Artefacts made of wood coming from archaeological excavations provide insights into human cultural behaviour of the past. They show how man utilised natural resources and how the development of woodworking techniques and artistic endeavour were developed. Within archaeological contexts, waterlogged anaerobic conditions generally preserve the appearance of artefacts, although wood is subject to severe decay processes. The said conditions can transform the original material into a new one, thus demonstrating specific differences from those of the “fresh” wood of the same species. In order to assess these new properties correctly, an integrated diagnostic approach is needed, one which includes a multidisciplinary (micromorphological, physical and chemical) evaluation of the state of preservation. This paper reports several diagnostic results regarding wood artefacts coming from a series of archaeological excavations carried out in Italy. Different types of artefacts – ships, furniture, foundation piles, etc. – that date to different eras (Roman times, the Middle Ages, the Renaissance) have been included in this study. In addition, several species of wood at different levels of decay were analysed. Our study provides evidence of how a multidisciplinary approach, based on anatomical (micromorphological), physical and chemical analyses, avoids goes beyond the limits of each single type of analysis, thus contributing to a complete and reliable evaluation of the state of preservation of these archaeological artefacts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This paper outlines the physical characterisation of findings of woods from the excavation of the Etruscan–Roman ancient harbour of Pisa. The physical characterisation deals with measurements of wood density, shrinkages and maximum water content. The measurements are performed with a methodology specifically set up for the archaeological wet material, not applicable as standardised international methodologies. Physical characterisation is necessary to measure the wood decay, through a useful decay index, and to define the consolidation strategies for the recovery of the wooden findings, for their conservation and enjoyment. Results confirm the high decay of wood samples, probably due to the almost complete loss of the cellulose fraction of the cell walls, shown by the very low basic density (average value less than 0.2 g/cm3) and the high water content (more than 500%). The parameter of the residual basic density seems less useful for the identification of the consolidation strategy. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Archaeological excavations in the docking site of Pisa (Central Italy) unearthed several shipwrecks which dated back to the Roman time, from the Republican to the Imperial periods. The recent identification of the woods used for building ships D, E, H, I and P, in addition to data of the previous analysis of ships A, B, C, F, L, revealed the utilization of 18 different taxa . Wood from oaks, both deciduous and evergreen, is mostly represented. 6 different softwood timbers, mostly from maritime and umbrella pine, were also largely used. Some of the hulls were entirely realized with hardwoods, others with softwoods or using a combination of softwoods for planking (mostly pines) and different hardwoods for the frame. The selection of timber indicates a skilful knowledge of the technological properties of the different woods and their suitable utilization in the Roman vessels. The use of woods largely available in the territory surrounding the Pisa docking site, as demonstrated by pollen analysis, does not necessary indicate the local production and/or provenance of the ships, given the spread of the identified wood taxa throughout the North Mediterranean area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objects of this study are the wooden artifacts discovered in the archaeological excavation of Mephitis goddess sanctuary in the Ansanto Valley (Rocca San Felice – AV, Southern Italy). At the moment of discovery, in the mid of last century, woods were waterlogged and mineralized, and they were restored to allow their preservation. Purpose of this work was the wood identification, in order to gain information on some technological aspects, and the analysis of wood preservation state. Wood species were identified by means of magnifiers or optical and scanning electron microscopes, while the state of preservation was studied through microscopy and chemical analyses (FTIR-ATR, ash content and pH measurement). Four different taxa have been identified with certainty among all the findings: Quercus sp. , Fagus sylvatica L., Rosaceae, Populus/Salix . It was not possible to identify the wood of all the findings, because some sampled fragments were too small or because of the deformation of wood tissues. The state of preservation showed a great variability over the analyzed findings. A general damage degree was observed, sometimes also macroscopically visible. The polarized light microscope and FTIR-ATR spectroscopy demonstrated the absence of cellulose in the analyzed samples. The wood cell wall was not detectable by means of SEM because it is completely covered by restoration material. Because of the lack of visibility, it was impossible to identify the type of biological damage occurred to the wood. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]