A reflection on the conservation of waterlogged wood : do original artefacts truly belong in public museum collections?

Erič, Miran (author), Stopar, David (author), Guček Puhar, Enej (author), Korat Bensa, Lidija (author), Saje, Nuša (author), Jaklič, Aleš (author), Solina, Franc (author)

The last decade has seen a transformative advancement in computational technologies, enabling the precise creation, evaluation, visualization, and reproduction of high-fidelity three-dimensional (3D) models of archaeological sites and artefacts. With the advent of 3D printing, both small- and large-scale objects can now be reproduced with remarkable accuracy and at customizable scales. Artefacts composed of organic materials—such as wood—are inherently susceptible to biological degradation and thus require extensive, long-term conservation employing costly methodologies. These procedures often raise environmental concerns and lead to irreversible alterations in the wood’s chemical composition, dimensional properties, and the intangible essence of the original artefact. In the context of public education and the dissemination of knowledge about historical technologies and objects, 3D replicas can effectively fulfill the same purpose as original artefacts, without compromising interpretative value or cultural significance. Furthermore, the digital data embedded in 3D surface and object models provides a wealth of supplementary information that cannot be captured, preserved, or documented through conventional techniques. Waterlogged wooden objects can now be thoroughly documented in 3D, enabling ongoing, non-invasive scientific analysis. Given these capabilities, it is imperative to revisit the philosophical and ethical foundations of preserving waterlogged wood and to adopt innovative strategies for the conservation and presentation of wooden artefacts. These new paradigms can serve educational, research, and outreach purposes—core functions of contemporary museums.

• Language: English
• Keywords: conservation methodology, microbiology, restoration, preservation, computer vision, 3D technologies, museum interpretation
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FRI - Faculty of Computer and Information Science ; BF - Biotechnical Faculty
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2025
• Number of pages: 25 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 8, iss. 7
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-170646
• UDC: 7.025.4:004.92:004.93
• ISSN on article: 2571-9408
• DOI: 10.3390/heritage8070273
• COBISS.SI-ID: 242147587
• Publication date in RUL: 11.07.2025

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Heritage
• Shortened title: Heritage
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2571-9408
• COBISS.SI-ID: 1538164675

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: konzervatorska metodologija, mikrobiologija, restavriranje, ohranjanje, računalniški vid, 3D tehnologije

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0214
• Name: Računalniški vid