Stabilization and Conservation of Iron Objects in the Collections of the Institute of History, National Academy of Sciences of Belarus

Abstract

The Institute of History of the National Academy of Sciences of Belarus possesses a century-old repository of archaeological artefacts obtained during planned and rescue excavations. Iron items are a true gem of this collection. Until recently, stabilization, conservation, and restoration of iron artefacts remained a relevant problem, a lot of items being lost to corrosion. The experimental laboratory for stabilization and conservation of archaeological iron, which appeared in 2019, stabilizes iron artefacts by treating them with thin alkaline sulfite solution under ultrasound. This method is extremely effective against active corrosion. More than 200 iron objects have already undergone a full cycle of conservation. Half of them is deposited in the repositories of the Institute of History, and the other half is exhibited at its archaeological scientific museum. Restoration preserves metal objects for research, increases their interpretability, and introduces them into scientific circulation. Their appearance being restored, iron artefacts can be exhibited both at stationary and traveling exhibitions, thus popularizing the domestic archaeology and encouraging cooperation with Russian historians.