Study the Negative Effects related to Inappropriate Storage Conditions on Archaeological Ceramic, Indicate Some Practical Solutions

This paper studies the negative effects of storage conditions on archaeological ceramic artifacts since they may spend much of their lives in storage areas and units (in the excavation or Museums). The ceramic artifacts are subject to deterioration from chemical interactions to some extent between the main matrix of it and the surrounding deterioration factors in these areas and units or sometimes happen from the materials used in treatment steps as old or new restoration. Thus, archaeological ceramic artifacts can be unstable even over short periods. Maintaining the proper environment, like control of light, temperature, relative humidity, ventilating, air pollutants, and pests inside the storage areas and units, is required. So diligent and continuous observation of these conditions is required. In addition, these areas must be adequate to accommodate the particular characteristics and quantity of objects. The paper studies some affected ceramic samples through different investigative and analytical methods to recognize the harmful deterioration effects, such as Digital Optical Microscope to investigate the destructed ceramic artifacts, The Scanning Electron Microscope equipped with the Energy Dispersive system (SEM-EDX) detailed ceramic surface composition and its initial structure. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD) recognizes the mineral composition and crystalline phases in ceramic; in addition, Differential Thermal Analysis (DTA) determines the almost firing temperature of ceramic artifacts. This study evaluates the different deterioration aspects of archaeological ceramic artifacts; it gives some practical solutions to avoid a high percentage of deterioration problems before it happens by providing an appropriate storage environment, materials, and units.