Cutting-edge preservation technology
The mummy with the painted shroud is displayed and stored in a 'passive method' glass and metal case: the interior environment is oxygen-free and practically gas tight. The internal conservation parameters were designed and defined according to the chemical and physical conditions of the mummy.
The display case consists of a stainless steel, single-body tank, on which a multilayer glass pane rests.
The glass constitutes one of the fundamental elements of the system by guaranteeing the safety and at the same time, the visibility of the find. Eurac Research's display case respects the standards laid down by Italian law for glass used to protect objects of historical and artistic importance and improves on them: multi-layer glass was chosen because it does not shatter into pieces in the event of breakage, it is also 'extra-clear' because of its absence of metal oxides, which in addition, ensures excellent levels of light transmission and color rendering.
The glass and steel parts are sealed with a special hydrocarbon-based wax.
The seal on the access door is guaranteed due to a specially designed indium gasket. Every detail was devised to ensure resistance to polluting or corrosive substances and to limit the possibility of microbiological aggression.
The entire system requires no power supply to maintain the conditions necessary for storage and every detail was designed to reduce maintenance costs
Patents
The Eurac Research display case has two technological patents relating to it. The first - registered in 2010 - defines all the characteristics of the display case for the conservation of organic finds of historical and artistic interest and constitutes a steel frame with a glass cover, sealed with organic hydrocarbon wax.
The second patent, from 2014, pertains to the so-called 'Bellows'. This is a device designed to be attached to the display case and protect it by compensating for the pressure difference that could occur between it and its surroundings due to temperature variations. This important device protects the display case from breakage due to the volume variations within it. At the design stage, all the dimensions are laid out and the climate of the place where the find will be displayed is constantly monitored.
The Conservation Soft Box: an innovative airtight container
After having been stored for many years in the basement of the Museo Civico Archeologico di Bologna, the wooden box in which the mummy with the painted shroud was kept, was opened and the mummy was prepared for analysis.
The mummy was laid on a custom-made multilayer support which comprised a type 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.
