Literally a ‘mammoth task’: The conservation, preparation and curation of the West Runton Mammoth skeleton

Abstract

The skeleton of the West Runton Mammoth is one of only a very few Mammuthus trogontherii skeletons known globally. It is the most complete skeleton of this species known, was excavated in primary context, is well preserved and represents an important stage in mammoth evolution. Therefore this skeleton and the associated specimens from the 1995 excavation at West Runton required relevant levels of conservation, preparation and curation appropriate to material of this importance. As the material is sub-fossil in nature (i.e. not mineralised), biomolecule retrieval techniques may be used on the specimens in the future, and therefore it was necessary to preserve the biochemical and geochemical integrity of the material and invasive conservation procedures such as consolidation were therefore kept to a minimum. However, due to weathering and trampling at the time of burial and subsequent compaction of the sediment the bones were mechanically weak, fragile and vulnerable once excavated. Given the huge size and substantial weight of the larger bones, innovative storage solutions had to be devised to create appropriate permanent supportive storage media. Whilst considering suitable conservation strategies, investigations into certain materials lead to experimentation with techniques.This project demonstrates the importance of having a well-funded post-excavation conservation programme employing a preparator–conservator not only to appropriately stabilise and conserve the physical material for detailed study but also to conserve information that might otherwise be lost e.g. orientation of bones when found, or the preservation of sedimentary structures. In addition, familiarity with the material resulting from several years of preparing the bones under a microscope has revealed important aspects of the material– relating often to taphonomy and pathology – that might otherwise have been missed.