“Archaeological Discoveries at Valmiera Museum Exposition: Presented at Triennial of Baltic Restorers”

In the 13th triennial of restorers of the Baltic states “Changes, challenges and achievements”, the archaeological objects included in the Valmiera museum exposition will be examined, analyzing the new knowledge gained during their restoration, conservation and research.

The Valmiera Museum sent 451 archaeological objects for restoration and preservation to the restoration center of the Lithuanian Art Museum “Pranas Gudynas Conservation Center” in Vilnius. Some items were also subjected to more in-depth analysis by restorers. What was discovered about the exhibition objects of the Valmiera Museum seemed so exciting to the restorers in Vilnius that the methods of object analysis and the conclusions obtained will be presented at the triennial of restorers of the Baltic States.

“Normally, if we take objects to be conserved and restored so that we can display them, we do not expect that any new and special nuances will be revealed that will complement the content and story of the exposition, however, the work of the restorers in Vilnius significantly increased the knowledge about the objects. For example, a crown symbol was found on the blade of one broken knife. Unfortunately, so far it has not been possible to find out the meaning of the crown, even after contacting knowledgeable archaeologists at the European level. In general, with the trip of these objects to Vilnius, we gained a more nuanced view of the museum’s exposition,” says Liene Rokpelne, head of the Valmiera Museum’s History Department, deputy director in scientific work.

In Vilnius, a dendrological analysis of a wooden log – a construction part that was dated to the beginning of the 17th century – was also carried out in order to find out in which year the structure was built. The analysis determined the species of tree and even determined with high probability in which period of time this tree could have been cut down.

The 13th Triennial of Restaurateurs of the Baltic States “Changes, Challenges and Achievements” will take place from May 16 to 19 in Riga. More than 200 restorers, conservators, specialists related to the field of cultural heritage preservation from Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Ukraine, Georgia, Great Britain, France, Sweden and Croatia will participate in the triennial for three days. More: triennial2023.lv