Work

Evaluation of resin impregnation for preserving organic residues in archaeological soils

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Archaeological soils contain organic residues providing insights into ancient activities, but preservation is challenging due to degradation. While freezing is standard, it’s impractical in field settings. This study evaluates resin impregnation for preserving residues under field conditions. Using controlled burial experiments with degraded meat and archaeological bone fragments, we compared room temperature storage, freezing, dehydration, epoxy, and polyester resin impregnation. After six months, samples were analyzed via amino acid analysis, GC-MS, BCA protein quantification, and ZooMS. Epoxy resin impregnation outperformed others, retaining 92.4% protein in bone samples versus 58.9% at room temperature, and preserving diagnostic peptides for species identification. Its cross-linked structure creates a sealed microenvironment reducing degradation. We developed a field-adapted epoxy protocol requiring minimal equipment, enhancing residue preservation at remote sites.

Source: npj Heritage Science

DOI: 10.1038/s40494-025-02054-6