Chemical Characterization of Waterlogged Charred Wood: The Case of a Medieval Shipwreck

In 2008, a medieval wooden shipwreck was discovered at the port of Rhodes, Greece. The shipwreck was party burned, presenting a challenge for conservators, as uncharred, semi-charred and charred waterlogged wood were often encountered on the same piece of timber. In seeking the most appropriate cons...

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Autores principales:	Eirini Mitsi, Stamatis Boyatzis, Anastasia Pournou
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	MDPI AG 2021
Materias:	medieval shipwreck waterlogged wood charred wood chemical analysis EDS FTIR Plant ecology QK900-989
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/863b962a6f8c41ad96204aeca304b136
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:863b962a6f8c41ad96204aeca304b1362021-11-25T17:39:18ZChemical Characterization of Waterlogged Charred Wood: The Case of a Medieval Shipwreck10.3390/f121115941999-4907https://doaj.org/article/863b962a6f8c41ad96204aeca304b1362021-11-01T00:00:00Zhttps://www.mdpi.com/1999-4907/12/11/1594https://doaj.org/toc/1999-4907In 2008, a medieval wooden shipwreck was discovered at the port of Rhodes, Greece. The shipwreck was party burned, presenting a challenge for conservators, as uncharred, semi-charred and charred waterlogged wood were often encountered on the same piece of timber. In seeking the most appropriate conservation method for this unusual material, its chemical characterization was considered necessary. This study examined the chemistry of the three dominant wood conditions found in the wreck. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis were implemented in comparison to reference samples. Energy dispersive analysis was also used for assessing the inorganic composition of each condition. Moreover, for charred and semi-charred wood, proximate analysis was undertaken. Results obtained regarding the organic moieties of the waterlogged archaeological material, demonstrated that charred samples were chemically comparable to charcoals, semi-charred material showed similarity to thermally modified wood, whereas uncharred waterlogged wood was proven to have an analogous chemistry to biodeteriorated wood. Elemental analysis results also diversified among the three shipwreck’s conditions. Sulfur, iron, and oxygen decreased in charred areas, whereas carbon increased. Proximate analysis showed that ash and fixed carbon content increased with charring, whereas volatile mater decreased. This work proved major chemical differences among shipwreck timbers’ conditions owing to different degree of charring. These are anticipated to influence not only conservation methods’ efficacy, but also the post-treatment behavior of the material. Further investigation is needed for correlating the chemistry of the archaeological material to its physical properties in order to contribute to practical aspects of conservation.Eirini MitsiStamatis BoyatzisAnastasia PournouMDPI AGarticlemedieval shipwreckwaterlogged woodcharred woodchemical analysisEDSFTIRPlant ecologyQK900-989ENForests, Vol 12, Iss 1594, p 1594 (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	medieval shipwreck waterlogged wood charred wood chemical analysis EDS FTIR Plant ecology QK900-989
spellingShingle	medieval shipwreck waterlogged wood charred wood chemical analysis EDS FTIR Plant ecology QK900-989 Eirini Mitsi Stamatis Boyatzis Anastasia Pournou Chemical Characterization of Waterlogged Charred Wood: The Case of a Medieval Shipwreck
description	In 2008, a medieval wooden shipwreck was discovered at the port of Rhodes, Greece. The shipwreck was party burned, presenting a challenge for conservators, as uncharred, semi-charred and charred waterlogged wood were often encountered on the same piece of timber. In seeking the most appropriate conservation method for this unusual material, its chemical characterization was considered necessary. This study examined the chemistry of the three dominant wood conditions found in the wreck. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffraction analysis were implemented in comparison to reference samples. Energy dispersive analysis was also used for assessing the inorganic composition of each condition. Moreover, for charred and semi-charred wood, proximate analysis was undertaken. Results obtained regarding the organic moieties of the waterlogged archaeological material, demonstrated that charred samples were chemically comparable to charcoals, semi-charred material showed similarity to thermally modified wood, whereas uncharred waterlogged wood was proven to have an analogous chemistry to biodeteriorated wood. Elemental analysis results also diversified among the three shipwreck’s conditions. Sulfur, iron, and oxygen decreased in charred areas, whereas carbon increased. Proximate analysis showed that ash and fixed carbon content increased with charring, whereas volatile mater decreased. This work proved major chemical differences among shipwreck timbers’ conditions owing to different degree of charring. These are anticipated to influence not only conservation methods’ efficacy, but also the post-treatment behavior of the material. Further investigation is needed for correlating the chemistry of the archaeological material to its physical properties in order to contribute to practical aspects of conservation.
format	article
author	Eirini Mitsi Stamatis Boyatzis Anastasia Pournou
author_facet	Eirini Mitsi Stamatis Boyatzis Anastasia Pournou
author_sort	Eirini Mitsi
title	Chemical Characterization of Waterlogged Charred Wood: The Case of a Medieval Shipwreck
title_short	Chemical Characterization of Waterlogged Charred Wood: The Case of a Medieval Shipwreck
title_full	Chemical Characterization of Waterlogged Charred Wood: The Case of a Medieval Shipwreck
title_fullStr	Chemical Characterization of Waterlogged Charred Wood: The Case of a Medieval Shipwreck
title_full_unstemmed	Chemical Characterization of Waterlogged Charred Wood: The Case of a Medieval Shipwreck
title_sort	chemical characterization of waterlogged charred wood: the case of a medieval shipwreck
publisher	MDPI AG
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/863b962a6f8c41ad96204aeca304b136
work_keys_str_mv	AT eirinimitsi chemicalcharacterizationofwaterloggedcharredwoodthecaseofamedievalshipwreck AT stamatisboyatzis chemicalcharacterizationofwaterloggedcharredwoodthecaseofamedievalshipwreck AT anastasiapournou chemicalcharacterizationofwaterloggedcharredwoodthecaseofamedievalshipwreck
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Chemical Characterization of Waterlogged Charred Wood: The Case of a Medieval Shipwreck

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