ÇATALHÖYÜK 2004 ARCHIVE REPORT

SUPPORT TEAMS

Conservation

James Hales, Elizabeth Pye, Dean Sully

Team: Elizabeth Pye, Dean Sully, James Hales with Louise Cooke, Duygu Cleere, Nichole Doub, Margrethe Felter, Trinidad Rico, Ina St George, and Jackie Zac (all from University College London) and Brigid Gallagher (from University of Wales in Cardiff).

Abstract

The Çatalhöyük project offers the opportunity to participate in a collaborative study of the site and to embed conservation into the project. The main objectives of the conservation team are to support the field project, and to research and develop several different facets of conservation: field conservation; specialist processes; conservation of structures; reflexive conservation.

 

Özet

Çatalhöyük projesi işbirlikli bir çalışmaya katılım için bir kapı açmakta ve bu çalışmaya konservasyonu da dahil etmektedir. Konservasyon ekibinin ana amacı, kazı çalışmalarına destek vermek, ve konservasyonun farklı yönlerini araştırmak ve geliştirmek; kazı konservasyonu, uzmanlık işlemleri, yapıların konservasyonu; dönüşlü konservasyondur.

 

Support for the field project

Excavation and treatment of fragile or complex materials

The 2004 season was dominated by the large amount of on-site conservation work required. For much of the excavation season team members (James Hales, Margrethe Felter & Brigid Gallagher) where kept almost permanently occupied with the combination of work being undertaken in situ and the large number of important and fragile finds requiring specialist removal from site.

One find of major significance was a human skull, with plastered and pigmented surface, found in the foundation phase of Building 42 in the South Area. Because of its importance it was imperative that it be removed from site without suffering fragmentation or pigment loss. This was particularly difficult as the skull was extremely fragile and largely undercut by rodent burrowing so lacking support both round it and underneath. The method used involved filling the voids formed by rodent activity with sieved clean sand. The sand was consolidated making it possible both to remove the skull successfully from the site and support it for display or long term storage, without further major work. The method proved to be a great success and, following some additional work in the lab, the skull was transported safely to Konya Museum where it was put on display.

Other material requiring extensive support prior to excavation were faunal remains, including horn cores, bucrania and other animal skulls. The Faunal Remains team wanted these to be removed from the site in such a condition that they could be measured and studied in the lab. Six major items were successfully removed from site by the conservation team, and the excavation method developed over the 2004 season will be used in the future as a standard approach for such material.

A section of painted plaster exposed at the end of the 2003 season in niche F.813 (in Building 2 in the South Area), was successfully removed in 2004 by Elizabeth Pye, Dean Sully and Ina St George. The plaster had suffered root damage causing disruption of the pigmented surface. Extensive work was undertaken by Brigid Gallagher to stabilise and support these areas, as well as to reveal the painted surface and to remove excess plaster from the reverse of the painting.

Conservation of small finds

Small finds work continued in the lab throughout the season with a wide range of objects undergoing treatment including ceramics, glass, metals, wood and bone (Duygu Cleere, Magrethe Felter, Brigid Gallagher, Nichole Doub). Of particular note was a small stone mother goddess figurine with a deteriorated surface which required careful cleaning in order to reveal as much of the original shape as possible.

Stabilisation of plastered and painted surfaces

Substantial work was undertaken in Space 229 in the 4040 Area. This space encompassed 11 plastered walls in varying degrees of deterioration. One wall retained significant amounts of red pigment which represents the most substantial amount of pigment found this season. To retain the plaster in position, the walls required a combination of consolidation, injection and reattachment of the plastered surface. After discussion, it was decided that a 20cm wide strip down the left hand side of each wall should be left unconsolidated in order to compare and thus assess the success of the treatment, this would also allow for future investigation of the plaster layer by layer if necessary. It will be interesting to undertake an assessment of the treatment in the 2005 season. Black pigment was also found in some parts of the building and here careful micro excavation of the plaster layers was carried out in order to establish the extent of the pigment. Unfortunately it remained as only a few traces.

Previous work on Building 17 in the South Area was continued consisting of consolidation of plaster walls and reconstruction and reattachment of the basin in the NW corner. Again careful investigation of pigmented areas was carried out. A small area of pigment was exposed but it proved not to be extensive or part of a larger design.

Assessment of mud-brick structures

Louise Cooke assessed the exposed structures on the site and how they are affected by excavation, exposure and display, as well as by current approaches to care and conservation. She set out the conservation options ranging from controlled erosion, back-filling, or sheltering to consolidation with traditional or synthetic materials. Her report will be used to generate discussion and further development of conservation policy for the structures on the site.

Assessment of the condition of Building 5

Following a preliminary assessment undertaken in the 2003 season it had been decided that this year one team member would focus solely on assessment of Building 5. With generous assistance from the media team a full condition survey of the building was undertaken by Trinidad Rico. The resulting work (consisting of a completely annotated visual record of the building's condition) will be used in future to underpin all condition monitoring and conservation work associated with this structure. The techniques used in this survey will be developed for use on other areas of presented archaeology.

Assessment of the stored small finds

Nichole Doub undertook a condition survey of the small finds stored in the small finds room. The results will be used as a basis for monitoring the condition of the finds in the future, and to inform discussion and development of a new storage building.  

Conservation advice

During our stay in 2004 we were happy to provide conservation advice to other specialist teams on a number of issues including collections care, reconstruction of ceramics and the identification of materials.

Documentation and guidelines for conservation

Work started on reorganising the Conservation Database. All treatments and work carried out in situ were recorded on the Database. All materials were photographed before and after treatment and for the first year all conservation images have been catalogued and passed to the media team for inclusion in the Çatalhöyük image database. Elizabeth Pye also started work on developing a set of guidelines for the organisation of conservation work on the site, and on suitable conservation methods and materials.

Research

Testing conservation materials

Investigations were carried out during the season into the use of cyclododecane as a support material for fragile surfaces (Duygu Cleere, James Hales and Margrethe Felter). Cyclododecane (C 12 H 24 ) is a cyclic hydrocarbon consisting of large translucent white crystals with a waxy texture; it is solid at room temperature but can be melted to form a liquid. It can be applied in molten form to fragile surfaces and when it cools and hardens it acts as a temporary support. Its great advantage is that over time (on exposure to air) cyclododecane sublimes (i.e. passes from a solid to a gas without forming a liquid phase) and disappears, leaving no permanent residue on the object. During the 2004 season we found that the working properties of this material, when applied with a brush or pipette, made it an ideal and practical support material for fragile bone and an additional support material for objects requiring specialist excavation and removal from site. Further work will be done in 2005 to refine methods of application and assess the potential long-term effects of this treatment.

On a smaller scale, tests were undertaken by Dean Sully and Ina St George on a range of facing adhesives to use in removing painted plaster. The results will be used to develop a modified approach to removing wall paintings from the site.

Research into building materials and wall paintings

Work has started on studying the pigments, and the mud brick structures (Elizabeth Pye, Ina St George, Louise Cooke). The structures and wall paintings are an important feature of the site, and further research is needed into the composition of the mud-bricks, plasters and pigments and how they are used – in particular to understand the technology of the paintings and the way they deteriorate on exposure. We hope to join with other specialists in developing a materials study group. Better understanding of the materials should help us to maximise retention and study of the painted plasters without compromising future investigation.

It is important to develop an approach to the display and presentation of exposed buildings and wall sections which does not   compromise the research potential of the wall plaster layers and mud brick supports. Possible areas for development are: targeted stabilisation treatments that do not prejudice the potential for future separation of wall plaster layers; managing the moisture content within the structures during excavation and subsequent presentation; sampling and imaging techniques that can locate pigmented areas within the wall plaster layers.

Reflexive conservation

The aim here is to explore issues of working culture, and of the conservation process and product in an ‘unfamiliar' context. Jackie Zack is researching the way archaeologists and conservators collaborate and used a research visit to Catalhoyuk as an opportunity to explore interaction between archaeologists and conservators. She was able to observe work on site and in the labs, and video or audiotape activities as well as discussions. Elizabeth Pye and Dean Sully focused on the student experience and how the challenges and constraints of working at the site affected the way students learn. This will feed into a current paper they are writing about conservation training, and will inform the way   students are prepared in future for work at the site.

Evaluating a sustainable environment for long term storage of the excavated archive

Discussions are under way for the design and construction of a new archive storage building. The scale of the building has been discussed with Freya Swogger, Louis Cooke and Dean Sully, along with the functions that it is required to perform (secure storage, visitor and researcher access, post excavation facilities) The current proposal is that the building should be constructed of mud-brick, thus helping to conserve traditional local building skills as well as providing an effective environment for the storage of the archive. This will be examined in the coming season with environmental monitoring on site, and the development of a design brief

Identification of future research projects

Experience from this year will be used to refine research projects suitable for student dissertations and portfolios for this academic year.

Possible dissertation topics:

Practical projects: