X-Radiography in Archaeology and Conservation

Francis Lukezic

At the March 8 CCASM meeting Francis Lukezic shared several projects in which X-Radiography had been used to determine more about the inside of an object.  X-rays indicated that a really rusty object wasn't a nail but the remains of embroidery scissors.  X-rays are also used to determine whether or not a Civil War musket was still loaded so that any black powder could be removed before the pistol was conserved.

X-Radiography is a technology that has been around for over one hundred years and is a cost-effective and non-destructive tool used by conservators and archaeologists to investigate artifacts where the exterior hides what's inside. 

Francis Lukezic is a conservator at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory in Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum.

Attendance: 8

A Sunken Ship Under City Streets: The World Trade Center Ship

Nichole Doub

On April 15 the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Friday Night Lecture Series and the Charles County Archaeological Society of Maryland, Inc (CCASM) co-sponsored Nichole Daub's talk on the 18th century ship discovered beneath the World Trade Center in New York City last summer.  Nichole described how the ship was found and how it was excavated from the site for transfer to the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory.  She also explained the importance of conservation, especially for submerged wooden artifacts.

Nichole is the head conservator at the Maryland Archaeological Conservation Laboratory that is located at Jefferson Patterson Park and Museum in St Leonard, Maryland.

CSM Lecture

Ship at Trade Center

Part of Audience

CCASM Display