TB: Preservation

When the Vesuvius, the volcano, erupted, it blanketed the Roman town of Pompeii in pumice and ash. This thick layer of dust preserved the town, its’ people and goods for years until archeologists discovered it in 1748. This Bronze Bathtub is from 79 AD and was recovered from the ashes of Pompeii. Today, Pompeii is one of Italy’s most visited tourist destinations. Archeologists were even able to preserve plaster casts of human bodies that were unable to escape Vesuvius’s fiery wrath

These Galapagos Lava Lizards (Microlophus Albemarlensis) have been a part of The Field Museum’s collection since 1932, but they were first collected and preserved in 1891. This means they are 121 years old! In 1662 they used 70% grain alcohol, ethanol, to preserve these specimen. Today, Preservationists use both an initial formalin treatment and ethanol to ensure the specimen stays in the best condition possible for centuries, but, as you can see, even just ethanol does the trick.    

This is a CT scan of Field Museum mummy 11517. X-Ray Computed Tomography uses many x-rays to build a three dimensional image in slices. This image shows that the Egyptian boy was mummified (another type of preservation) and that his coffin was a bit too big for his body. Images like this can preserve the objects inside coffins without having to damage the coffin itself.