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Team Pachacamac
During the Pachacamac project Fran Baas and myself will move, survey, photograph, and rehouse 2800 textiles and 1000 pots (stay tuned for more about the survey process!). In order to complete this...
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Meow! Ancient Peruvian Textile
As I mentioned in my staff introduction, I am working at the University Of Pennsylvania Museum Of Archaeology and Anthropology (Penn Museum) on a IMLS funded post-graduate conservation fellowship....
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Conservation of Masks for Maya 2012: Lords of Time
One of the projects that we’re working on in the conservation lab right now is preparations for the Maya 2012: Lords of Time exhibition (opening on May 5th!). We’re currently examining and treating...
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“Get Your Fiber On!”
Detail_PachacamacTextile29723 Last Friday, Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter proclaimed March “Fiber Art Month” during the opening ceremony of FiberPhiladelphia 2012! In honor of that proclamation, I...
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Pachacamac Survey Project: Textile Update
Time is quickly passing, but we are making great strides and accomplishments in the IMLS grant-funded Pachacamac Survey Project! This one-year grant covers a detailed condition assessment, photography...
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Pachacamac Survey Project: Ceramics Update
So we are almost at the end of our IMLS survey of Pachacamac textiles and ceramics. As mentioned in previous blog posts, this one-year grant covers a detailed condition assessment, photography, and...
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Suburban Development Threatens Archaeological Site in Gordion, Turkey
Ayşe explains to city officials why Gordion will never have temples, stadiums, and big buildings like the Classical sites of Ephesus and Pergamon. On the other hand, the Gordion region has an...
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Pachacamac Survey Project: Wrapping Things Up
IMLS Project Conservators Ainslie Harrison and Fran Baas It’s hard to believe that our year here is coming to an end. We’re wrapping up the final details and writing our final reports on our IMLS...
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The Artifact Lab takes shape
Last week the preparations for the Artifact Lab (see my previous post) really began to gather speed. On Monday, Molly Gleeson the project conservator arrived and was immediately plunged into the...
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Mysteries of Kourion
I am working on a year long project conducting a condition survey of the objects at the Penn Museum from Kourion, Cyprus, that were excavated under the direction of George McFadden. This may not sound...
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The Salty Pots of Ur and the Desalination Station
In July, I joined the Ur Digitization Project. As a part of this project, I have been working on a condition assessment of the ceramics from Ur. In doing the condition assessment I am looking at,...
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Mysteries of Kourion Revisited: a Mystery Solved!
Front view of 49-12-664 Awhile back I wrote a post, Mysteries of Kourion, about an unusual object from Kaloriziki Kourion (an archaeological site on Cyprus), which rattles when moved. Last week I got...
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The Ur Digitization Project: The Largest Jar!
While working on the Ur Digitization Project and the condition assessment of the ceramic vessels from Ur, I often find myself thinking about how they were made. Once in a while I notice features that...
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What ARE the Buddhist Murals Made Of?
The questions most frequently asked of us while working on the Buddhist murals in the Chinese rotunda involve what the murals are made of. Often people presume they are frescoes. True fresco is done on...
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How We Do What We Do
“Can you please explain what you’re doing?” is a question we hear daily. From a visitor’s perspective it doesn’t look like we’re doing much. Basically, we observe and document. A thorough condition...
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I Spy with My Little Eye…
One of the most amazing aspects of Buddhist murals condition survey is that it does not get boring. We are constantly discovering more details and quirks. While a regular, sharp-eyed museum visitor can...
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When what you see is not what you get
The museum is getting ready to install an exhibition on this year’s Penn Humanities Forum theme: Color. This alabaster head from South Arabia (30-47-17A) was selected for the exhibition to help...
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Standing on Stilts: The Glazed Ceramics from Ur
In my last blog post I wrote about the process for firing some of the unglazed ceramics from Ur and I thought I’d follow that up with some information about the glazed ceramics from Ur. 31-43-646: a...
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Soft Vegetative Roof Capping at Gordion: A Tutorial Video
Poa bulbosa inflorescence Archaeobotanists usually deal with dead plants, but as I was finishing my research on the ancient plant remains at Gordion, an ongoing project of the Penn Museum, I became...
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New Beginnings
Figure 1 Conservator Nina Owczarek – left, and Conservation Technicians Cassia Balogh – center and Stephanie Carrato, already hard at work in the new Conservation Treatment Studio while ductwork is...
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