Conservation
An innovative airtight container for the conservation of the mummy
The mummy of the child with three tunics was found in a rather precarious state of preservation and was missing both its head and feet having been stored in a wooden box with a metal cover in the basement of the Museo Civico Archeologico in Bologna.
After initial observations, the mummy was prepared for analysis, using specially designed supports to inhibit further damage when the mummy had to be moved or transported. The body of the mummy was laid on a custom-made multilayer support made of closed-cell polyethylene foam (Plastazote®) covered with a layer of micro-perforated polyethylene (Tyvek®).
The mummy was then sealed inside a special structure called Conservation Soft Box "CSB" previously conceived and developed by Eurac Research’s Institute for Mummy Studies in their state-of-the-art laboratories.
The structure is made of PVC piping, wrapped in a multilayer film which is inert and heat sealable, allowing an insulated environment to be created inside. Silica gel moisture stabilizers and oxygen removal agents are then placed within the box to create an anaerobic atmosphere suitable for the storage of the remains. Finally, a passive volatile organic compound (VOC) absorber composed of a mixture of aluminum permanganate and activated charcoal was also added to the interior for an ideal storage environment.
The CSB will allow the mummy to be safely preserved into the future. When it is returned to the Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna, the mummy will not be exhibited publicly for ethical reasons.
The CSB developed at Eurac Research’s Institute for Mummy Studies is an excellent conservation solution for organic finds which must be preserved as long as possible to allow their study and use in the future but that cannot be exhibited due to lack of space in museum contexts or because of other issues relating to ethics or particular characteristics specific to certain individuals.
