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[[underline]] Archaeometry-Conservation -- Dr. Gell-Mann [[/underline]]

Dr. Murray Gell-Mann expressed concern relating to the development of archaeometry at the Institution.  The following text was  submitted to the Regents for their consideration.

The conservation of collections is one of the most important functions of a museum.  In the last decade, major advances have been made in developing new diagnostic tools and methods of treatment.  These have assured the preservation of countless objects, either the product of nature or the testimony of man's accomplishments and aspirations.

However, it has become increasingly clear that for preservation to be fully effective, much more needs to be known about the properties of materials, their origins, and the manner in which they were used, either singly or in combination with others, to create the artifacts now in our care.

This analytical approach to conservation of artifacts is intimately associated with what we may call archaeometry:  the study of such objects by the methods of the natural sciences.

In the course of the last generation, great progress has been made in archaeometry, including the development of new methods for dating and authenticating museum objects as well as understanding the methods of their manufacture and the sources of the materials of which they are made.

Modern archaeometric studies are obviously of great value to conservation and, conversely, it is true that conservation activity provides an excellent opportunity for the scientific study of artifacts.