Assessment of Deterioration in Archaeological Wood from Ancient Egypt

Blanchette, Robert A.; Haight, John E.; Koestler, Robert J.; Hatchfield, Pamela; Arnold, Dorthea

doi:10.1179/019713694806066428

Cited by 42 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The gelatinous layer also appears to be resistant to soft rot fungi. In a recent investigation of archaeological wood from ancient Egyptian tombs, soft rot fungi caused an unusual form of attack within secondary wall layers (Blanchette et al 1994). The exceedingly thick wall layer dosest to cell lumina, suspected of being a gelatinous layer of tension wood cells, was not attacked.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradation of Compression Wood and Tension Wood by White and Brown Rot Fungi

Blanchette¹,

Obst²,

Timell³

1994

HFSG

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Ultrastructural investigations and chemical determinations of Compression wood frorn Abies balsamea, Picea mariana and Pinus strobits after decay by white or brown rot fungi demonsträted that this type of wood is more resistant to decay than normal wood. Hyphae colonizing Compression wood were found in cell lumina and intercellular spaces whereas normal wood cell had hyphae only in cell lumina. Compression wood did not alter the type of cell wall degradation produced by the various fungi tested, but the rate and extent of decay were limited. The white rot fungus, Trametes versicolor, caused a nonselective attack of all cell wall components äs indicated by erosion of secondary wall layers and middle lamellae. A selective removal of lignin occurred throughout the cell walls of wood decayed by the other white rot fungi (Phellinus pini, Phlebia tremellosa and Scytinostroma galactimim) that were evaluated. The brown rot fungi, Fomitopsis pinicola and Oligoporus placentus caused a diffuse removal of polysaccharides from both compression wood and normal wood. Tension wood from Populus tremuloides and Acer rubrum decayed by white or brown rot fungi had similar amounts of decay to those observed in normal wood. Ultrastructural observations, however, showed striking differences in the progressive stages of decay. Hyphae of Trametes versicolor located in cell lumina did not cause erosion or severe degradation of the adjacent, underlying gelatinous iayer associated with tension wood. A typical nonselective degradation of the secondary wall layers and middle lamellae, however, occurred beneath this gelatinous layer. In areas of advanced degradation, the secondary walls and middle lamellae between cell walls were completely degraded leaving only the gelatinous layer and cell corner regions of the middle lamellae. Brown rot fungi were able to degrade the gelatinous layer and other cell wall layers resulting in extensive degradation of polysaccharides.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biodegradation of Compression Wood and Tension Wood by White and Brown Rot Fungi

Blanchette¹,

Obst²,

Timell³

1994

HFSG

Self Cite

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“…Differences in composition are also common between temperate and tropical hardwoods. Woods such as teak, mahogany and ebony have greater concentrations of lignin and wood extractives than many temperate hardwoods such as maple, birch, and aspen (Blanchette, Haight, Koestler, Hatcheld, & Arnold, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Vibrational spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction methods to establish the differences between hardwood and softwood

Popescu

Singurel

Popescu

et al. 2009

Carbohydrate Polymers

202

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“…Dry archaeological wood is rarer than waterlogged one. In fact, the completely dryness of wood can be reached only in particular sites, such as desert areas or places in which wood had been efficiently sheltered (houses, temples, tombs) [18][19][20]. As most of fungi and bacteria need water in their metabolism, wood with a water content much below the fibre saturation point is poorly degraded by microorganisms, whereas insects may still represent a significant threat [1].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As most of fungi and bacteria need water in their metabolism, wood with a water content much below the fibre saturation point is poorly degraded by microorganisms, whereas insects may still represent a significant threat [1]. Three main factors of decay have been previously highlighted for some wood objects from Egyptian tombs: soft rot, brown rot, and an abiotic form of degradation [19]. Brown rot fungi mainly attack cellulose, causing depolymerisation and leaving a brown fragile residue rich in lignin [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A critical evaluation of the degradation state of dry archaeological wood from Egypt by SEM, ATR-FTIR, wet chemical analysis and Py(HMDS)-GC-MS

Tamburini

Łucejko

Pizzo

et al. 2017

Polymer Degradation and Stability

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An in-depth investigation was undertaken of the chemical changes to wood induced by degrading agents in dry burial environments. The degradation state of eleven wood samples from dry archaeological sites in Egypt was evaluated by combining the information obtained by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), wet chemical analysis (WCA), attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and analytical pyrolysis gas chromatography mass spectrometry with in situ silylation (Py(HMDS)-GC-MS). The samples belonged to five different wood species (Faidherbia albida, Ficus sycomorus, Taxus baccata, Pinus sylvestris and Tamarix sp.) and came from three different archaeological sites corresponding to three different time periods (from ca. 1700 BC to ca. 1700 AD). The results were compared with sound reference wood of the same species. SEM enabled a fungal attack to be identified in some of the samples. WCA highlighted the preferential loss of lignin or carbohydrates in these samples, but also showed unusually high values of water-soluble substances in most of them. FTIR spectra acquired before and after the extraction of the samples revealed that this soluble fraction generally contained depolymerised carbohydrates and/or lignin units. Py(HMDS)-GC-MS was applied without any sample pre-treatment and was used to assess the alteration/depolymerisation of the individual wood components, thus complementing the picture regarding the chemical changes. The results showed that, unlike waterlogged archaeological wood, most of the degraded wood components â\u80\u93 depolymerised carbohydrates and/or lignin â\u80\u93 had not leached away from the dry wood matrix, and thus complicated the interpretation of data. The commonly used parameters, such as the H/L (holocellulose/lignin) ratio, failed to give a correct evaluation of the wood degradation when both carbohydrates and lignin were degraded. The preservation conditions of the samples were very variable, from very good to a high depletion of carbohydrates, to the preferential depletion of lignin, or comparable levels of carbohydrate and lignin degradation. This was sometimes observed within the same wood species and the same archaeological site. This highlighted how difficult the interpretation can be in order to correctly evaluate the multiple causes of degradation affecting dry archaeological wood. An analytical approach using complementary techniques appears to be essential

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Assessment of Deterioration in Archaeological Wood from Ancient Egypt

Cited by 42 publications

References 18 publications

Biodegradation of Compression Wood and Tension Wood by White and Brown Rot Fungi

Biodegradation of Compression Wood and Tension Wood by White and Brown Rot Fungi

Vibrational spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction methods to establish the differences between hardwood and softwood

A critical evaluation of the degradation state of dry archaeological wood from Egypt by SEM, ATR-FTIR, wet chemical analysis and Py(HMDS)-GC-MS

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