Reflexive Conservation Research at Çatalhöyük

Summary

Çatalhöyük, like many earthen sites, is a complex exercise in preservation. Since it was first excavated in the 1960s there have been efforts to preserve the archaeological substrate. A significant part of this program was the application of aqueous polymer systems applied as a consolidant to the plaster and mud brick surfaces. This practice of attempting to strength walls by polymerization was reviewed by means of laboratory testing in the 1990s, and continued to some extent unchallenged for the following 20 years. In recent years, however, it became necessary to revise the suitability of this polymer system. As the aims for stabilization shifted from temporary to long term-display, and site monitoring improved, specific deterioration patterns emerged which correlated with failure of the polymer rather than deterioration of the archaeological substrate. This dilemma provided an interesting opportunity to review the practice, and challenge the adequacy of a methodology that is not unique to Çatalhöyük. To achieve this Fourier Transform Infrared microspectroscopy was coupled with a holistic study of the environment at the site. As a result, a new interpretation of the performance of polymer systems within the archaeological substrate allows for a more informed conservation practice in the future.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Society for American Archaeology 82nd Annual Meeting, Vancouver, BC (2017)   •
• Continuity and Change, Two Decades of Excavation and Research at Çatalhöyük

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Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 16268