How is ancient Greek pottery conserved and restored?

The conservation and restoration of ancient Greek pottery is a specialized sub-section of ceramic object preservation. Most of these terracotta earthenware objects are recovered from archaeological sites as broken shards that require reassembly, though some intact pieces have been discovered in tombs. Professional conservator-restorers work alongside curators and conservation scientists to carefully piece these artifacts back together.

What we know

• The conservation and restoration of ancient Greek pottery is a sub-section of the broader field of conserving ceramic objects. [1, 2]
• Most ancient Greek pottery consists of terracotta, which is a type of earthenware ceramic dating from the 11th century BCE through the 1st century CE. [2]
• Artifacts are usually excavated from archaeological sites in broken pieces, or shards, and subsequently reassembled. [2]
• The conservation-restoration process is undertaken by professional conservator-restorers, frequently collaborating with curators and conservation scientists. [2]

Where to go next

• the bigger pictureWhat information do vase paintings provide about ancient Greek culture?
• whenHow do Aegean Bronze Age styles relate to later Greek pottery?
• whereWhat role did the Palace of Minos play in ancient Crete?
• compared withHow were materials like wood and metal used in ancient elite furniture?
• how it workedWhat methods do conservation scientists use to reassemble ceramic shards?
• an unexpected connectionHow do ancient Minoan archaeological sites connect to Greek pottery preservation?Both ancient Greek ceramic artifacts and major Minoan urban centers like Knossos are key components of the physical archaeological record used to understand ancient Aegean civilizations.

Sources

• [1]conservation and restoration of ancient Greek pottery (Wikidata Q29654916) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Conservation and restoration of ancient Greek pottery · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Pottery of ancient Greece · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Knossos · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Ancient furniture · CC BY-SA 4.0