Ivory Bracelets from Abydos, Egypt, c. 3050 B.C.E.
In 2002, the Pennsylvania-Yale-Institute of Fine Arts Expedition to Abydos uncovered a young child's burial. A group of approximately 25 ivory bracelets had been placed adjacent to the legs of the child nearly 5000 years ago. The goal of the conservation treatment was to first lift these fragile bracelets from the grave and then reconstruct some of them as possible.
Images courtesy of the Pennsylvania-Yale-Institute of Fine Arts Expedition to Abydos (PYIFA).
Left image: An Early Dynastic Child Burial from the Abydos North Cemetery, Egypt, as found.
Right image: Detail of the approximately 25 ivory bracelets found next to the child's skeletal remains.
Left image: Sharing the small space of the grave with osteologist Dr. Brenda Baker who was recording the skeletal remains. The breaks in the bones of the child were first consolidated in order to ensure that they could be lifted out intact. In this image, the bracelets are being coated with the temporary consolidant cyclododecane so they can be removed in a large section.
Right image: Carefully excavating around the bracelets so that they can be lifted from the floor of the grave.
Left image: Continuing to carefully excavate around the bracelets so that they can be lifted from the floor of the grave.
Right image: Lifting the section of bracelets after consolidation and careful excavation.
Left image: The underside of the bracelets after they were lifted from the ground.
Right image: Four bracelets after reconstruction and conservation.