Multi-Technique Characterization and Conservation of an Ancient Egyptian Fabric from King Khufu First Solar Ship

Abstract

Textiles are among the most fragile artefacts in the world. They are difficult to preserve even in the best circumstances. Herein, we studied an artefacts fabric of a special nature in terms of usage. Despite the multiple applications of textiles, the piece understudy is one of the unique pieces that the ancient Egyptian used as fenders for King Khufu's first solar boat, the second-largest discovery in Egypt history. The boat was discovered inside a limestone pit. It was disassembled and arranged in several layers. Four pillows of wrapped fabric were found in the first layer, which was used as boat fenders. This use is a great discovery of the role of textiles in the manufacture of ancient boats. Thus, we conducted tests and analytical studies of those fenders using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and an optical microscope to identify the type and nature of fibers, spinning method, and aspects of damage. Both energy-dispersive X-ray (EDX) analysis and infrared analysis (FT-IR) were employed to explore the sample's elemental content and study the functional groups of the fabric. These analytical processes were useful in carrying out the restoration and preservation work necessary for the artefact under study.

New frontiers review of some recent conservation techniques of organic and inorganic archaeological artefacts against microbial deterioration

“…Cedar oil, a naturally occurring ingredient, was effectively utilized to sterilize textiles against deteriorating fungi by pouring cedar oil within a tightly closed room housing of the artifact for 2 weeks. The sterilizing process was finished inside the closed room, which was constructed of polyethene ( Nabil et al, 2021 ).…”

“…On the other hand, Nabil et al (2021) claimed that mechanical cleaning is a crucial step before microbial treatment because it reduces microbial load and consequently, decreases the dose of antimicrobial needed for treatment. Additionally, the mechanical cleaning process offered a secure method to be used in fabric conservation.…”