Conservation Confidential: Tools galore!

Today’s Conservation Confidential, Tools of Every Trade: Conservation Ingenuity with conservator Lynn Grant can be viewed at vimeo.com/483259426. You can also catch up with others in this series by looking in the Conservation Confidential section at https://www.penn.museum/events/adult-programs/the-daily-dig. Many of today’s stories and images were drawn from our 8 years of Artifact Lab blogging. If you want to know more, here are links to the relevant posts:

  • Molly’s tools:  https://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2015/08/17/the-right-tools-for-the-job/
  • Gel Cleaning: https://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2017/12/08/coming-clean/
  • Restringing: https://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2018/05/16/beaded-necklaces-restringing-to-secure-the-past/
  • Kitchenwares: https://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2017/04/11/cleaning-questions-and-cross-sections/
  • https://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2017/12/08/coming-clean/
  • https://www.penn.museum/sites/artifactlab/2013/01/10/making-scarab-amulet-impressions-part-2/

Cuneiform Conservation Conundrum

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One of the earliest known forms of writing is cuneiform, a wedge-shaped script developed by the Sumerians, around 5000 years ago. It is preserved on stone carvings and clay tablets. The survival of the clay tablets is amazing, given that most were of unbaked clay – essentially mud. Today’s Conservation Confidential (1 pm EST on Penn Museum’s Facebook page) will feature conservator Tessa de Alarcon discussing the preservation of these earliest written records.

Palm trees and Sharks’ Teeth, oh my!

In today’s Conservation Confidential, Project Conservator Debra Breslin will discuss her work on some amazing objects. How do you wage war when your only raw materials are palm trees and fish? What’s Robert Louis Stevenson got to do with it? To find out, tune into Penn Museum on Facebook at 1 pm EST or check it out asynchronously (as we like to say these days) at the Conservation Confidential section here

Conservation Confidential: Sphinx Gallery tales

Join Schwartz Project Conservator, Molly Gleeson, as she brings you up to date on what’s been happening in our Lower Egyptian Gallery for the last two years. Lots! Almost all of it pretty monumental. Molly will be available to answer questions via the Penn Museum Facebook page between 1 and 2 pm EDT on Friday, November 6.