How does one exhibit 30 wrecked ships from the Roman period on the site where they were found? How does one conserve centuries-old impressive terracotta statues in an underground museum that is built on the site where the archaeologists worked? Various European and Chinese partners join hands and exchange their expertise.  The Ename Center for Public Archaeology and Heritage Presentation takes part in the dialogue, which proves to be a special occasion to apply the principles of the Ename Charter to the “in situ” conservation of fragile archaeological finds.

Two exceptional locations form the thematic anchorage point for this project: the site of the antique wrecked ships in Pisa and the underground tomb museum of Yangling that shows the terracotta statues of emperor Jing Di.

About 30 wrecks dating from the first century B.C. till the fourth century A.D. were located and partially excavated in Pisa at the end of the 1990s.  They are all exceptionally well-preserved ships, sometimes including their freight.  From the beginning the scientists researched and opened up the site on the spot. Meanwhile, the research centre, which is accommodated in a laboratory located where the finds were made, has gained a lot of experience in conservation techniques for wood. The presentation of the finds has not yet received its definitive form.

The impressive Han Yanglin museum recently opened its doors near X’ian.  This underground tomb museum shows the finds of the terracotta statues “in situ”  (on site) and gives visitors a clear understanding of the daily work of the archaeologists.  It also tries to interpret this enormous site, of which the imperial burial mound is the most prominent feature.

These two sites form the starting point for various partners in Europe and China to gather round the table and discuss the problems of the conservation of objects and the interpretation and presentation of archaeological data “in situ”.  For that purpose workshops and colloquiums will be organized in China as well as in Europe.  Afterwards, the perceptions and results will be incorporated in an official greenbook and a bilingual (English-Chinese) website.  This way the project takes the lead in a difficult subject matter aiming to inform heritage professionals and other interested parties of the knowledge acquired.

The project is supported by the European Commission.

More information:
Website of the Han Yangling Museum.