Field Conservation of the Organic Finds at the Sherkaly-1 Site in 2022

• Published in: Археология Евразийских степей
• Main Author: Vyacheslav E. Simkin
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: State institution «Tatarstan Аcademy of Sciences» 2023
• Subjects: archaeology; field conservation; restoration; wet archaeological wood; antler; birch bark; sherkaly-1; khanty-mansiysk; CC1-960; khanty; khanty-mansi; Mansi; Siberia
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.24852/2587-6112.2023.4.117.123; https://doaj.org/article/683f155c4a684f27a69ae346b9dbf4c8

Field conservation is one of the most important stages of restoration and archaeological research. Currently, scientific restoration demands new requirements on field conservation methods, as well as the organization and operation of laboratories. The role of field conservation is especially significant when studying archaeological sites with a wet or damp cultural layer, some of which are located in Western Siberia, in the Khanty-Mansi Autonomous Okrug. One of such sites is the Sherkaly-1 hillfort, a unique archaeological site with a thick cultural layer (up to 3m). A significant part of the artifacts consist unique objects made of organic materials, having various levels of preservation, presenting challenges for conservation. This article provides a detailed description of the activities by restorers and the results of their work on the example of a created field laboratory.