Archaeological conservators can work commercially or in the public sector for museums, universities, archaeological units, or conservation companies. Many are trained in the conservation of a wide variety of archaeological materials and support excavations by lifting the most vulnerable finds and giving advice on short-term care of freshly excavated material.
Conservators examine the constituent materials and structure of artifacts and assess their condition through X-radiography, instrumental or chemical analysis, and investigative cleaning under the microscope, to help archaeologists and finds specialists answer research questions about a site. They may also reconstruct selected finds to assist with interpretation and enable objects to be displayed or illustrated. They use chemical treatments to slow down deterioration of artifacts post excavation. They keep a record of any treatments and analyses carried out and refer to past records if retreating objects.
Archaeological conservators are also responsible for ensuring that finds are stable prior to long-term storage or when arranging a loan to external institutions and for advising on protective conditions during transport, if handled or while on display. These may include care of the environmental material from a site, such as bone and seed samples and, given the importance of the site archive as a whole, the preventive care of the digital or paper records. They monitor and assess environmental factors in deterioration such as temperature, relative humidity, light, pests, dirt, pollution, packaging, case materials, and handling regimes. In some cases this may include advice on preservation of artifacts in situ on an archaeological site.
Many are involved in outreach activities, explaining and demonstrating conservation and collections care to archaeological professionals, volunteers, and the public.
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