Preservation Condition of Prehistoric Amber in the Agrarian Landscape

Author: Botfeldt, Knud

Source: Conservation and Management of Archaeological Sites, Volume 12, Number 3, 2010 , pp. 254-273(20)

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Abstract:

The Danish Research Council launched a research programme to examine the influence of urbanization, agriculture, and forestry on cultural heritage in agrarian/traditional landscapes. This article is one part of this programme and deals with amber artefacts found in aerobic soils. Amber was chosen as a material because it is present in all prehistoric periods in Denmark and it is known to have a unique deterioration pattern. The Danish county of Sønderjylland (North Slesvig) was chosen as a case study and every amber find from the Stone Age to Iron Age was examined microscopically and macroscopically: in total 433 objects. The conclusion shows that the only degradation factor is oxidation. No other factors were found to affect the degradation pattern, and the soil conditions do not seem to have had any influence.

Keywords: AMBER DETERIORATION; DENMARK; ARTEFACT DEGRADATION; AEROBIC SOILS

Document Type: Research Article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1179/175355210X12792909186458

Affiliations: School of Conservation, The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, Esplanaden 34, 1263 Copenhagen K, Denmark;, Email: kbb@kons.dk

Publication date: 2010-08-01

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