Photograph of a Preparator at Work
Photographic Paper
Chicago
P58895
Oriental Institute Museum
Photograph of a Preparator at Work
This photograph depicts preparator Robert Hanson of the Oriental Institute in the process of restoring the stone threshold (A17598) from King Sargon II's palace at Khorsabad. The fragments of the threshold were so heavy that a crane was needed to lift them into place. Work such as this is carried out in museum laboratories prior to the installation of artifacts in the public galleries.
Multimedia
The Mystery of Archaeology
Dr. Gil Stein, Director of the Oriental Institute, talks about archaeology in this video.
The Ancient City of Khorsabad
Dr. Gil Stein, Director of the Oriental Institute, discusses the importance of the ancient capital city of Khorsabad in this video.
How Do We Care for Ancient Artifacts?
How do artifacts survive over time? Oriental Institute Museum conservator Laura D'Alessandro tells us how they are cared for in this video.
Suggested Readings
Parpola, Simo. Letters from Assyria and the West: The Correspondence of Sargon II, Part I. Helsinki: Helsinki University Press, 1987.
Renfrew, Colin and Paul Bahn. Archaeology: Theory, Methods, and Practice. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1991.
Wenke, Robert. Patterns in Prehistory: Humankind's First Three Million Years. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1990.