| Conservation of artifacts
recovered from the marine environment, such as at the Queen
Anne’s Revenge shipwreck site, requires highly trained professional
conservators with talent and knowledge, who are willing to adapt
to varying conditions. While there are general formulas for the
whole range of materials that enter the conservation laboratory,
artifacts are often complex and have been subjected to varying
conditions. Treatment needs for each artifact vary accordingly
and conservators adjust equipment, methods, and preservation chemicals
to address specific conditions. After artifacts pass through the
conservation process they are documented and analyzed by archaeologists.
Registrars complete extensive records on where each artifact was
recovered, its condition, the conservation procedures utilized
during cleaning and stabilization, and its physical characteristics
using a battery of tests and measurements. This information is
entered into the Department of Cultural Resources’ artifact data
base at the Office of State Archaeology Research Center in Raleigh.
Artifacts from the Queen Anne’s Revenge shipwreck site
are then transferred to the North Carolina Maritime Museum artifact
repository where they will be kept in long-term storage and made
available for public exhibit and future research. |
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