Claudia Chemello excavating the fragile wooden statues at Abydos.

Kesley Curator of Conservation and Suzanne Davis, Curator of Dynastic Egypt Collections Janet Richards, along with former Kelsey colleague Claudia Chemello and several other members of Abydos team have recently published a report on the investigation and conservation of wooden statues excavated at the Abydos Middle Cemetery. In the article, Suzanne and colleagues discuss the statues' archaeological context, detail a scientific investigation into their manufacture and subsequent deterioration, and describe effective ways to treat severely damaged wood from archaeological contexts.

The article appears in the Journal of the American Institute for Conservation and can be viewed online at doi.org/10.1080/01971360.2021.1951551 (note that subscription or access through U-M library is required). 

Congratulations to everyone involved!

Visit our website to learn more about the Kelsey Museum conservation team.