Potential Issues in the Conservation of Bone and Teeth in Maritime Archaeology

Since the 1940s, when maritime archaeology was established, systematic excavation of submerged wrecks began to be refined. Systematic excavations led recovery a vast array organic and inorganic artefacts, including human non-human bones teeth. In order preserve materials recovered from sea, discipline conservation rapidly expanded dealt with unique issues, including, but not limited to, marine salts’ encrustation archaeological artefacts. Bone teeth are artefacts which provide crucial information about natural social environments past. When settings, they often friable require processes consolidation treatments, e.g., prevent shrinkage during drying. However, consolidants can interfere pathological, traumatic taphonomical evidence associated bone teeth, bias sample preparation analysis through mechanical action chemical composition. The aim this paper, in few examples interference listed, is highlight need accurately documenting any type process and/or treatment that has been performed on stored collections. This becomes essential samples selected for study, especially if includes destructive analysis, will assist clarifying conflicting results, leading reliable interpretations.