Non-destructive assessment of conserved archaeological wood using computed tomography

Wood is one of the key materials in archaeological research. Information about procedures, technology, economy and the environment are stored in both the shape of the object and in the structure of the wood. Wood is mainly preserved under waterlogged and anoxic conditions, and archaeological objects need conservation after recovery. Here, an overview is given about the use of computed tomography techniquesto analyse the structure of conserved wooden artefacts. Besides tree-ring analyses and wood identification, the focus of this investigation is conservation science. In the recently started project CuTAWAY (Conservation and Wood Analyses), a representative scientific collection (KUR Collection) is analysed with computed tomography in order to evaluate the impact on wooden structures of the most common conservation methods.The research project is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG – 416877131) and the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF – 200021E_183684)