Taean and Mado no. 1 shipwrecks get to the humidity-controlled dryingstage, the last touch of keeping archaeological shipwrecks

 - Full-scale operation of automatic drying system for large-sized waterlogged woodfor the first time in Korea -

The National Research Institute of Maritime Cultural Heritage (NRIMCH; Kim Seongbae, Director) of the Cultural Heritage Administration is working on the humidity-controlled drying treatment on Taean and Mado no. 1 shipwrecks at the Taean Conservation Centerin Sinjindo (island), Taean-gun, Chungnam from the end of the July, 2023.

Taean and Mado no. 1 shipwrecks, both belonging to Goryeo dynasty,were recovered from Daesum (island), waters of Taean in 2008 and Mado in 2009, respectively. During the underwater excavation of Taean shipwreck, especially, around 25,000 of recovered artifacts including Goryeo pottery, shipboard products and the shipwreck itself, surprised the world, three Goryeo celadons of which were appreciated their precious values and recognized as treasures.

Taean and Mado no. 1 shipwrecks, which have been conserved right after their recovery, are coming into their last stage of humidity-controlled dryingfrom July, this year, after 15 years of desalination(2009-2011) and consolidation(2011-2023).

The institute established the drying system with automatic control of temperature and humidity for large-sized waterlogged wood at the end of 2020 for the systematic drying treatment of Taean and Mado no. 1 shipwrecks for the first time in Korea and checked and complemented the system until 2022. Applying humidity-controlled dryingto the large-sized waterlogged compartments of the archaeological shipwrecks is expected to change the paradigm of conservation of waterlogged wood in the future, considering that it can conserve them stably,minimizing concerned damages under the natural drying process.

From now on, the NRIMCH is going to dry Taean and Mado no. 1 shipwrecks for five years from 2023 to 2028, while conducting the research on monitoring the changes of statement of waterlogged wood and reducing the energy for drying system, which could be used for the sustainable collection management.

Meanwhile, those who want to watch the Taean and Mado no. 1 shipwrecks under the humidity-controlled drying treatment in person can request the visit by contacting the person in charge (seojinkim@korea.kr/☎041-419-7026).