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Archaeologists at Historic Jamestowne are digging into one of the greatest mysteries of the first English settlement in America: a knight’s tombstone that has been laying on the floor of a church for nearly four centuries.
The tombstone posed several mysteries for the Preservation Virginia team. Whose grave does it mark? What steps should be taken to preserve the damaged stone? And how will the team lift the roughly 1,200 pound stone onto a stable work surface without further damage — or injury?
Preservation Virginia saw the need to seek help from an outside expert to offer guidance on moving and preserving the stone. While the archaeologists have experience working with centuries-old artifacts, they had never worked on an artifact the size of the knight’s tomb.
“This is kind of out of the realm of what we in the conservation department are doing,” said Preservation Virginia Senior Staff Archaeologist Michael Lavin. “It is an artifact, but it is more of a monument. One of the most important things for us is knowing our limitations. We’re archaeological conservators. It’s a completely different field than monuments conservation.”
Jamestown Unearthed: Archaeologists begin conservation of knight’s tombstone | Williamsburg Yorktown Daily
That is the job I want.
The tombstone posed several mysteries for the Preservation Virginia team. Whose grave does it mark? What steps should be taken to preserve the damaged stone? And how will the team lift the roughly 1,200 pound stone onto a stable work surface without further damage — or injury?
Preservation Virginia saw the need to seek help from an outside expert to offer guidance on moving and preserving the stone. While the archaeologists have experience working with centuries-old artifacts, they had never worked on an artifact the size of the knight’s tomb.
“This is kind of out of the realm of what we in the conservation department are doing,” said Preservation Virginia Senior Staff Archaeologist Michael Lavin. “It is an artifact, but it is more of a monument. One of the most important things for us is knowing our limitations. We’re archaeological conservators. It’s a completely different field than monuments conservation.”
Jamestown Unearthed: Archaeologists begin conservation of knight’s tombstone | Williamsburg Yorktown Daily
That is the job I want.