The project BArCH-Wood, carried out as part of Eutopia network and University of Ljubljana student research initiatives, brings together 8 students and 5 mentors, representing five different departments and three Schools at University of Ljubljana.
The interdisciplinary team consists of archaeological, chemical, wood science and pedological researchers. Their aim is to study the impact of environmental changes on the buried wood found in the archaeological sites of the Ljubljana Marshes.
As part of the project, they will simulate the environment in the Ljubljana Marshes and try to model how the rapid weather changes affect the buried archaeological wood. In the first part of the project, we will carry out initial soil probing to determine the properties of the soil in which the wood samples will be buried for later monitoring. A test trench will then be excavated in which recent and archeological wood samples will be buried at different depths to observe their response to changes in weather conditions.
In the end, we will model and analyse the correlation relationship between the changes in weather conditions and the recorded changes in moisture of the wood samples. Monitoring the wood samples in an experimental environment similar to the one in the Ljubljana Marshes will allow us to make an important contribution to the development of approaches for monitoring and preservation of buried archaeological wooden structures. Based on the results of the study, we will formulate a proposal for the development of a methodological approach for researching the effects of climate change on buried archaeological wood. The long-term impact of the project will contribute to the development of more sustainable heritage conservation strategies that contribute to climate change.
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