Restoring archaeological finds

Have you ever wondered how a find from the ground ultimately becomes a museum object? At the restoration studio Restaura in Heerlen, they know all about it.

Every day, a team of researchers at the studio is engaged in treating and examining archaeological objects. They work on objects made of various materials, including metal, glass, wood, leather and pottery. The team’s activities include, among other things, producing replicas, taking X-ray images, and determining which chemical elements are present in a sample or object (XRF analysis).

The studio conducts research into, among other things, Roman remains. In Roman times, when Heerlen was still called Coriovallum, it was a true pottery empire. During excavations in 1971, large quantities of pottery were uncovered. More than forty pottery kilns were found, including, in one of these kilns, the jug of the potter Lucius Ferenius. The entire pottery collection of Lucius will be on display from 2028 in Het Romeins Museum. Did you know that the restoration studio also assisted in the restoration of the Roman bathhouse – the oldest preserved stone building in the Netherlands, which is also part of Het Romeins Museum?