The Conservation and Museums Advisory Team (CMAS) work very closely with several Archaeology Services carrying out excavations across the UK.

Having been buried in the ground for hundreds or thousands of years, freshly excavated finds can be very delicate! We can carry out x-raying and analysis, treatment and specialised packaging to stabilise them and ensure that they survive for the future.

Pre-Construct Archaeology were carrying out a dig near Winchester where three bronze age ring ditches had been identified. However, it was soon discovered that over 100 burials were present dating from the early medieval period. The site was featured in a recent episode of Digging For Britain where Paul McCulloch, Regional Manager, talks about the site.

BBC iPlayer – Digging for Britain – Series 11: 2. Anglo-Saxon Gold and Rebellious Nuns

Figure 1 – Anglo-saxon sword before conservation treatment

Something that didn’t appear in the episode was the discovery of a sword in one of the graves. After careful excavation which you can view in the YouTube video here, it was brought into CMAS for conservation treatment and turned out to be a fascinating project.

Figure 2 – x-rays of the sword illustrating a curved form and pattern welding

On careful inspection of the sword in our laboratory, we thought we could see fragments of wood or mineralised wood present. This is quite rare as wood and other organic materials often disappear completely after being buried for so long. X-raying also showed some lovely chevron welding marks from the swords manufacture and evidence of curved items in some of the loose fragments of corrosion. As the soil was painstakingly removed using a scalpel under magnification, it became clear that there were several layers on the surface of the blade; organic material which appeared to be covered by a thin layer of metal. There were also rivets visible where the organic material of the handle was attached to the metal.

Figure 3 – Detail of blade surface after conservation treatment

It is so unusual to find organic material still remaining from this time period that we did everything we could to preserve as much as possible. The two curved fragments were also cleaned and appeared to be bone. Could this be where the person was left clutching their sword in burial…

Figure 4 – Sword and fragment after conservation treatment

You can find out more about how we use x-rays in conservation on our blog X-radiography in the conservation lab.

The Conservation and Museums Advisory Service (CMAS) aims to promote excellence in the care and use of collections by providing conservation advice and practical treatments to heritage organisations and the public. We also support museums in Wiltshire to meet professional standards and become sustainable, resilient organisations.

If you have a conservation query, want a quotation to carry out some work, or would like to book a free appointment for one of our conservation surgeries, we would love to hear from you! You can contact the team by email cmas@wiltshire.gov.uk or why not follow us on social media:

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Kayleigh Spring, Conservator