Transcriber's Notes:
Italics are surrounded with _ _ and Greek words have been transliterated
and surrounded with # #. Isolated Greek letters have been replaced by the
name of the letter (e.g. alpha). The oe ligature has been replaced by the
letters oe. Subscripted characters have been preceded by _ and surrounded
with {} Fractions have been represented as 1-1/2 (for one and one-half)
and where a range of fractions has been specified, the numbers have been
surrounded by {} to prevent confusion (i.e. {3-1/2}-{4-1/2} represents the
range three and one-half to four and one-half.) Dittos and dashes used to
represent text have been replaced with the indicated text.
Some presumed printer's errors have been corrected. In particular, the
use of c.c. has been normalized when periods were missing, the degree
symbol (°) has been added when it appears to have been missing,
and words and numbers in the Index were changed to match the spelling and
placement in the body of the text. Some additional presumed errors which
have been corrected are listed below with the original text (top) and the
replacement text (bottom):
Table of Contents Literature xiv
Literature xiii
p. 59 vesse
vessel
p. 62 Gay Lussac
Gay-Lussac
p. 65 16 Feb 1904
16 Feb 1894
p. 102 Konigsberg
Königsberg
p. 154 Royal Musums
Royal Museums
Footnote 1 "Lexikon d. gesamsen Technik,"
"Lexikon d. gesamten Technik,"
THE PRESERVATION
OF ANTIQUITIES
Time, which antiquates antiquities, and hath an art to make dust
of all things, hath yet spared these minor monuments.
(SIR THOMAS BROWNE, _Hydriotaphia_, cap. v.)
THE PRESERVATION
OF ANTIQUITIES
A HANDBOOK FOR CURATORS
TRANSLATED, BY PERMISSION OF THE AUTHORITIES OF THE ROYAL
MUSEUMS, FROM THE GERMAN OF
DR FRIEDRICH RATHGEN
Director of the Laboratory of the Royal Museums, Berlin
BY
GEORGE A. AUDEN, M.A., M.D. (Cantab.)
AND
HAROLD A. AUDEN, M.Sc. (Vict.), D.Sc. (Tübingen)
CAMBRIDGE:
at the University Press
1905
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS WAREHOUSE,
C. F. CLAY, MANAGER.
London: AVE MARIA LANE, E.C.
Glasgow: 50, WELLINGTON STREET.
[Illustration]
Leipzig: F. A. BROCKHAUS.
New York: THE MACMILLAN COMPANY.
Bombay and Calcutta: MACMILLAN AND CO., LTD.
[_All Rights reserved._]
AUTHOR'S PREFACE.
The increasing recognition of the importance of the preservation of
antiquities justifies the publication of a handbook dealing with this
subject. As far as I can ascertain, with the exception of a short
article[1] for which I am myself responsible, only one work has appeared
which covers the whole field--the "Merkbuch[2]" prepared by Dr Voss at
the request of the Government. But as this book only gives a selection
of the known methods of preservation, the need of a more comprehensive
publication will scarcely be denied.
In spite of my ten years' experience in the special Laboratory of the
Royal Museums and the frequent opportunities of learning the methods
in use elsewhere, which the journeys and correspondence arising out of
my duties have given me during this period, I do not feel competent to
produce a review of these various methods which will be at once exhaustive
and sufficiently critical. There are several reasons for this. In the
first place the individual methods have been but rarely published, and
even then through the most varied literary media; often they are only
casually mentioned in articles dealing with anthropological or historical
subjects. On the other hand, the value of an object to be dealt with may
prohibit an attempt at treatment, the success of which is not assured.
My own experience has been gained by trials with objects chiefly from
the Egyptian section, but also to some extent from the Antiquarian and
Numismatic departments of the Royal Museums.
This deficiency can only be remedied by a work such as that now offered
to the public, and it is to be hoped that this handbook will stimulate
the Curators of State, Municipal and Societies' Collections, as well as
private collectors and others interested in the subject, to make public
their further experiences in this field of archaeology. I take this
opportunity, therefore, of expressing the hope that I may receive other
communications bearing upon the subject and may thus perhaps at some
future date be able to produce a more complete work.
In using the book it will be noticed that for the proper understanding of
the first portion, which deals with the causes of destruction, a certain
amount of chemical knowledge is assumed. In the second portion, however,
the methods of preservation are treated from a more elementary standpoint,
and the simple apparatus and manipulations required are so described that
the treatment may be readily carried out by those who are unfamiliar with
chemical methods.
In conclusion, I take this opportunity of expressing my thanks to all
those who have given their help, and especially to Dr Otto Olshausen for
his continued interest in the work of the Museum Laboratory and in the
production of this handbook. Especially am I indebted to his extensive
knowledge of anthropological literature for many references which would
otherwise have escaped my notice.
TRANSLATORS' PREFACE.
Dr Rathgen has, in his preface, stated the aim of this handbook, and it
is with a desire to further this aim that we have prepared an English
translation.
Claiming but limited experience in this field of research we have only
added such explanatory notes as seem in some way to bear upon the subject
or likely to be useful in a handbook of this kind (viz. the method of
taking squeezes, Appendix A, and a few footnotes which are signed and
enclosed in square brackets). We take this opportunity of thanking Dr
Rathgen for his interest in our undertaking, for his kindness in supplying
much additional matter which did not appear in the German edition, and
also for the loan of the blocks for Figs. 22 and 23. Figs. 7, 9-12, 30-33,
and 37, are from photographs of objects treated by ourselves.
Our thanks are especially due to Dr W. A. Caspari, of the National
Physical Laboratory, for his invaluable help in the revision of the
translation, and for his advice and suggestions in reference to the more
technical aspect of the work.
YORK,
_December 1904_.
CONTENTS.
PAGE
Literature xiii
Part I.
The changes undergone by antiquities in earth and
in air 1
Limestone and clay 2
Iron 7
Bronze and copper 15
Silver 49
Lead 53
Tin 53
Gold 53
Glass 54
Organic substances 54