| Egyptian Journal of Archeological and Restoration Studies

Authors:
Rifai, M. ¹ (*), Othman, M. ² , Mohamed, H. ³ , Abdrabou, A. ³ , Hamdy, A. ³ , Ali, I. ³ , Hussein, A. ³ , Ali, F. ³ , Ahmed, M. ³ & Mahmoud, R. <sup>2

1</sup> Conservation dept., Faculty of Archaeology, Cairo Univ., Egypt.
² Conservation dept., Cairo Museum, Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism, Egypt.
³ Conservation Centre, GEM, Ministry of Antiquities and Tourism, Egypt.

Abstract:
Howard Carter and Alfred Lucas carried out extensive investigation and detailed study to analyze and identify all the materials that the ancient Egyptian craftsmen used to make the magnificent shrines of Tutankhamun. They successfully identified the wood used for the panels, as well as the components of the gesso layers, tenons, metal tongues, door hinges, hoops and the gold used for gilding. Samples were investigated and studied in situ in Cairo or were sent to London; a process which at that early stage in archaeological research is considered an excellent scientific approach and is one of many leaps that aided the advancement of archaeological techn-ological studies. As conservators, we all try to adhere to current standard analytical procedures, with the aim of analyzing an artifact and assessing its preservation state prior to any conservation treatments, especially if it is in a pristine condition. However, what if the artifact has been for years on exhibit in a museum? Rarely would it be untouched by conservators, and we would have to be really fortunate to find old conservation records. Due to the imp-ortance of the Tutankhamun collection, all the objects were given extra care and were treated in situ before their transfer to Cairo. Aiming to stabilize the objects that had been buried for centuries, materials were ordered in hun-dreds of kilograms due to the size and number of objects. The questions today are which materials and methods were used for the treatment of these objects and how appropriate were they? A detailed inve-stigation of the fourth innermost shrine of Tutankhamun, which included 3D scanning, helped in the documentation of many previous techniques that were applied over the years since around 1925. The study aims to focus on how previous treatments have either prevented further deterioration of the shrine or are the cause of new problems during the application of new treatments.

Keywords:
King Tutankhamun Innermost Shrine Previous Treatments 3D scanning RTI UV imaging

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