Glossary of terms
Some of the terms used in these web pages are explained below.
Acid-free tissue
A special kind of tissue used for wrapping delicate artefacts in. Ordinary paper and cardboard is very slightly acidic, and might cause artefacts to corrode.
Archaeologist
A person who studies past societies by investigating the physical remains (buildings, artefacts, etc) they leave behind.
Bronzesmith
A person who makes artefacts from copper alloy. Bronze is a mixture (or alloy) of copper and tin.
Conservation
This is the careful cleaning and treatment of excavated artefacts to protect them from further corrosion and decay, and to allow them to be studied and displayed in a museum. A person who carries out conservation work is called a Conservator.
Silica gel
This is a substance placed in a sealed box with an artefact in order to keep the artefact dry. the silica gel does this by absorbing water molecules from the air inside the box, making it drier. Metal artefacts need to be kept dry to prevent them corroding.
Waterlogged
Soil that is waterlogged is permanently wet, and therefore artefacts decay much more slowly than usual. Waterlogged conditions help preserve artefacts that would otherwise decay.