Conserving a cuneiform tablet
Because they are routinely handled and studied by scholars,
curators and museum assistants, cuneiform tablets need to be robust
and stable.
Cuneiform tablets are often excavated in fragments. It is not
until scholars examine the text that new pieces are frequently
discovered which belong to the original tablets.
Fragments of cuneiform tablets come to the Department of
Conservation to be joined. A reversible adhesive is used, and the
tablet is made safe for further handling and study. A gap-fill may
be needed to give support to the existing fragments, as seen on
this cuneiform tablet. The gap-fill is made of plaster of Paris,
painted with acrylic paints and, where possible, is detachable.
The plaster is cast into the required position with a separating
layer of aluminium foil or thin plastic sheet to protect the edges
of the tablet from the wet plaster. Once set, the gap-fill may be
removed from the tablet and then shaped with abrasive papers. The
gap-fill is joined to the tablet using a reversible adhesive.
If the tablet is on public display the gap-fill is painted with
acrylic paints to tone in with the original clay. The fill acts
like another fragment of the tablet but can be easily removed in
future if more pieces of the original tablet are found.