Applicability of X-ray imaging to monitor the internal condition of waterlogged archaeological wood – pre-, intra-, and post-conservation

During conservation treatment, the greatest threat to waterlogged archaeological wooden (WAW) objects is collapse and/or shrinkage, which can occur during the drying process. Recent work undertaken by the CuTAWAY project revealed, using Micro-computed tomography (micro-CT), that the extent of adverse structural changes found internally in conserved WAW was far greater than generally anticipated. Suggesting a need for conservators to be able to monitor and assess the internal condition of WAW, prior to, during and after treatment. In this study, it was found that X-ray imaging offers a faster and more widely available alternative to micro-CT scanning. While the images are lower resolution than their micro-CT counterparts, they were able to make out the vast majority of internal damages present in a range of samples during various stages of treatment. However, the correct interpretation of internal damage in the X-ray images requires an underlying knowledge of the wood material.