| Egyptian Journal of Archeological and Restoration Studies

Authors:
Mahmoud, R. ¹ (*), Hassan, R. ² , Mansour, M. ² & Mohamed, H. <sup>3

1</sup> MA Student, Conservation dept., Faculty of Archeology - Cairo Univ., Egypt,
² Conservation dept., Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo Univ., Giza, Egypt,
³ Director general of restoration, Museum of Islamic Art, Giza, Egypt

Abstract:
The study aims to analyze and examine a degraded archaeological papyrus in the Restoration Laboratory of the Museum of Islamic Art in Cairo to identify its state of degradation. The study employed the digital microscope, SEM with EDX, FTIR-ATR, and PH. The SEM micrographs showed the distinctive waveform in the papyrus, indicating that this papyrus was made in the manner of the slides. The EDX Unit confirmed that the ink used was carbon ink and showed high oxygen levels, indicating damage to cellulose fibers. Additionally, the result of the FTIR-ATR showed that gum Arabic was the material used as a binder for carbon ink. The difficulty in the current study lies in the small size of the samples and the severe damage the papyrus suffered from. This study is the first to be con-ducted on this papyrus, making it a promising study to reveal the nature of the technique used for it, the nature of the inks, and the mechanics of damage that occurred over thousands of years.

Keywords:
Arabic gum Carbon ink Papyri Damage SEM-EDX FTIR

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