The freeze-drying of wet and waterlogged materials from archaeological excavations

Abstract

Large quantities of wood and leather have been found in the waterlogged layers on archaeological excavations. Centuries of burial, however, have left these materials in a very degraded and vulnerable state such that if they dry out they will fall apart. This paper discusses the physics behind the freeze-drying techniques that allow the preservation of these artefacts and the importance of physics in preserving archeological specimens.