Artefact Conservation
Kent SeversonConservation this season was conducted by Kent Severson and Emin Murat Özdemir. During the first few weeks repairs and further consolidation was made to Building 5 which had been on display for 10 months. New cracks were grouted and the repairs made to features using formulas and techniques developed in previous seasons.
Artifact conservation involved numerous finds passing through the laboratory on their way to long-term storage in the on-site depot or display in the Konya Museum. Highlights of the season included the recovery of an unfired clay plaster bowl. The artifact was consolidated in the field, lifted as a block, cleaned in the laboratory and prepared for display. Other treatments included work with clay balls and figurines, phytolithic basket impressions, bone, stone, glass, and even a few metal artifacts.
The busy season on the West Mound yielded some interesting ceramic artifacts; several of these pieces were restored for display in the Konya Museum.
Figure 22: Plaster bowl found on West Mound, after conservation