Investigation of wooden burial structures in the process of archaeological excavations

Archaeological objects of wood are just as an important and valuable historical source as pottery or artifacts of stone, metal, bone, fabric, etc. However, their study requires special conditions: due to their organic origin they rapidly decay after removal from the former environment. Examination of wooden objects is done in two stages: in the field and in the laboratory. During the first stage, the archaeologist can obtain maximal information only when he unconditionally observes a sequence of operations and conducts them rapidly and carefully. Large-sized wooden objects – burial structures and burial beds – are the most difficult for studying. Their examination is carried out throughout the whole process of excavating the archaeological site. The field stage of examining the burial structure ends up with its rapid reconstruction at the excavation site – a sequential assembly for re-examining and obtaining new data on its structural features and layout.