Conservation and Site Preservation at Sardis

Introduction

Conservation has been a presence at Sardis since the Expedition’s first season in 1958. Over the last fifty-plus seasons the Conservation Lab has been critical to the ongoing archaeological inquiry and discovery at Sardis. The conservation team supports many aspects of the Expedition’s work, including the recovery and lifting of fragile finds (Figs. 1, 2); materials identification; cleaning, joining, and stabilization of excavated material for study and publication (Figs. 3, 4); as well as advising on and implementing various large-scale site preservation projects over the years.

The Sardis Conservation Lab has also served as an important training ground for conservation students since 1964, when Dr. Hanfmann first invited Professor Lawrence Majewski of New York University’s Institute of Fine Arts Conservation Center to Sardis (Figs. 5, 6). Each summer Master’s students train both in the lab and on-site at Sardis, with supervising and project conservators on hand to support and teach. Both American and Turkish conservation training programs are now represented in the lab, with students learning from each other and contributing different perspectives when approaching treatment decisions.

The following pages provide an overview and highlight some of the many recent conservation projects at Sardis:

Conservation of Small Finds at Sardis.

Site Preservation at Sardis.

The Metals Rehousing Project at Sardis.

  • Fig. 1

    Brian Castriota (L) and Chantal Stein (R) stabilizing lamellar armor in the field in 2016. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

  • Fig. 2

    Hiroko Kariye, Eve Mayberger, Harry DeBauche, and Michael Morris discussing how to consolidate and lift an iron folding chair in excavations at Field 55, 2015. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

  • Fig. 3

    Kent Severson cleaning a Lydian coin in the small finds lab in 2014. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

  • Fig. 4

    Jennifer Kim reassembling a krater in 2007. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

  • Fig. 5

    Larry Majewski working on the reinstallation of panels of the mosaic floor in the Synagogue in 1973. (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

  • Fig. 6

    Larry Majewski flying a kite at Bin Tepe (©Archaeological Exploration of Sardis/President and Fellows of Harvard College)

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