2013-08-20

Conservation and restoration of stone monuments from the depot of NAIM-BAS

Since July 2013 the National Archaeological Institute with Museum of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM-BAS) runs the project of Conservation, Restoration and Ways of Improving the Display of Stone Pieces from the Depot of NAIM-BAS. The Project will help to improve the conditions for protecting and display the stone pieces arranged in the open air around the main building of the National Museum of Archaeology (NMA). The conservation and restoration activities are funded according to a project of the American Research Centre in Sofia.

During the first phase of the restoration a biocide treatment was carried out to destroy mosses, lichens and algae, and to remove the extinct flora. The work employed wooden spatulas and brushes friendly to the patina of the surface layer of the stone. The stone monuments are set up on new pedestals especially prepared for them to isolate moisture. Alongside protecting the pieces, the pedestals improve the aesthetic perception and good presentation to the visitors of NMA.

Through similar projects NMA plans to renovate the Museum’s vision for the next decade. This purpose is achieved by reorganization of its collections, additional information for the visitors describing the artifacts on a didactic panels and multi-media presentations, creation of electronic database for the Museum collections and releasing Museum guides.