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Silbury's structural integrity
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Littlestone
Littlestone
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Edited Dec 30, 2007, 20:26
Re: Well done EH and all concerned
Dec 30, 2007, 11:35
Morning fitz. You raised some interesting points last night, one of which I'd now like to address -

As for the poly bags. This fix is supposed to be a permanent fix therefore requiring stability and longevity of materials. Using a natural fibre would surely run the risk of biodegradation before the materials have had a chance to stabilise properly thus running the risk of further collapse. Surely the main aim of the project is to fix the hill permanently and if modern materials are the best for the job then so be it.


It is reasonable to say that, "...the main aim of the project is to fix the hill permanently and if modern materials are the best for the job then so be it." but there are a couple of problems there: the first is that modern materials are not always the best solution simply because they have not been tested over an extended period (and in the case of Silbury we're probably talking thousands of years in a unique environment). We don't really know how the plastic is going to react with the interior of the structure.

There's a principle in conservation that says as far as possible the same (or as near as possible the same) materials should be used for conservation as the original is made from. Sadly, the annals of conservation are littered with examples of well-meaning conservators/restorers using a new, seemingly stable material, only to discover a few years later that the new material is incompatible with the original. The second objection to both plastic, or bags made of a natural fibre, is that both are likely to leave large, alien deposits within the structure - that cannot be ethical on archaeological, conservation or religious grounds.

It's been suggested elsewhere that chalk blocks could have been used for the dividing walls. I don't know if there are good reasons why that method wasn't used but it would have seemed to have been the ideal way of solving the problem. After all, these dividing walls (unless I'm missing something) are only being put in place so that the areas behind them can be properly backfilled - they are not load-bearing as such.
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