Two inquisitive tourists exploring the glaciers of the Austro-Italian Otztal Alps in September of 1991, accidentally stumbled upon a human corpse partially embedded in the thawing glacial ice. Upon further examination, it was revealed that this body was well over four thousand years old! The Iceman, nicknamed Otzi, was so well-preserved by the ice that both his stomach contents and his hair were completely intact.
These sorts of chance discoveries are the Holy Grail for archaeologists. What we believe about the past can be partially or completely revised, once an accidentally preserved artifact from long ago has been discovered. Human flesh and other organic material is very fragile, and this makes discovery of these sorts of finds extremely rare. Oxygen, heat, moisture, and even sunlight can cause decomposition; bodies like Otzi's are preserved because they end up in a freakishly perfect situation, removed from all those factors. Once uncovered from this special environment, these ancient remains are incredibly fragile. Keeping them preserved for future study involves good science, careful handling, and the best environmental control systems imaginable.
Museums are quick to spend their money in carefully preserving such rare finds. It's an accepted fact that archaeologists are racing against an ever-ticking clock to keep an ancient artifact in good condition for a long period of time. Temperature control is a critical part of long-term artifact preservation. A room without a heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system will experience dramatic fluctuations of humidity and heat over the course of just a day; organic materials contract and expand in response to these changes, and may warp, grow mold, or disintegrate completely.
Museums work overtime to make sure that their collections are kept at optimal temperatures. Many have a dedicated HVAC system just for the exhibits, which will run 24 hours a day, 365 days per year. Along with maintaining optimal humidity levels throughout the museum (experts recommend 45-55% as a general rule), certain display cases may have specific temperature settings. A museum HVAC system must be able to adjust against daily and seasonal temperature changes. There may also be a backup generator to maintain the system, in case of a power outage.
This is not overkill; it's part of the procedures in place to keep valuable artifacts from damage. About 5% of the Dead Sea Scrolls, the oldest copy of the Hebrew bible ever found, were permanently destroyed when they were improperly stored in damp bank vaults, causing mildew growth and disintegration. The scrolls are now so fragile that they can only be lit directly for a few seconds at a time. HVAC systems are kept under constant surveillance, as it is in everybody's best interest to prevent those situations; periodic maintenance must be ongoing. A broken air conditioner might be a nuisance for most people; for a museum hosting an ancient mummy, it could mean disaster.
In the case of Otzi the Iceman, whose icy grave was the key to his preservation, curators at the South Tyrol Museum in Italy designed an automated refrigeration system to recreate the frigid Alps. A massive wall of glass and metal in a sort of alcove, houses the small cell that contains it. There is one 15-inch square viewing window, where visitors can get a glimpse of the mummy, and that is all; any size larger would cause too many minute temperature fluctuations. Sensors in the chamber monitor the humidity, air pressure, and temperature; the walls are lined with ice tiles to prevent the body from drying out. With this constant care, Otzi will continue to educate and fascinate the world for many generations to come.
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