The contamination of in situ archaeological remains: A pilot analysis of microplastics in sediment samples using μFTIR.

Background: Microplastics (MPs) are found in all environments: aquatic, airborne, and terrestrial. While their presence is not disputed, their potential impacts are not yet known.

Objective: To undertake a pilot analysis of MP contamination in archaeological sediment samples, taken in the late 1980s from two archaeological excavation sites in the historic city of York (UK) as well as contemporary sources close to the same sites, with respect to the presence (if any), levels, and characteristics of any particles identified.

Deterioration of the Hanson Logboat: chemical and imaging assessment with removal of polyethylene glycol conserving agent.

The state of preservation of wood in two samples from the Hanson Logboat, currently on display in Derby Museum and Art Gallery, was analysed using elemental analysis (EA), pyrolysis-gas chromatography/flame ionisation detection (Py-GC/FID), pyrolysis-gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (Py-GC/MS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The samples were collected in 2003, after the boat had undergone conservation, and in 2011 after the condition of the boat began to deteriorate. Solvent extraction enabled removal of polyethylene glycol, with which the wood had been impregnated during conservation, allowing the degradation of the cellulose and lignin polymeric components of the woods to be assessed.

Lessons from Star Carr on the vulnerability of organic archaeological remains to environmental change.

Examples of wetland deposits can be found across the globe and are known for preserving organic archaeological and environmental remains that are vitally important to our understanding of past human-environment interactions. The Mesolithic site of Star Carr (Yorkshire, United Kingdom) represents one of the most influential archives of human response to the changing climate at the end of the last glacial in Northern Europe. A hallmark of the site since its discovery in 1948 has been the exceptional preservation of its organic remains.

A critical review of hydrological data collection for assessing preservation risk for urban waterlogged archaeology: A case study from the City of York, UK.

Environmental change caused by urban development, possibly augmented by climate change, may result in accelerated decay of in situ archaeological resources. Damage may be related to changes in hydrological processes. Such archaeological resources have to be considered in environmental planning.