Researchon Unearthed Wool Fabric Of Xiaohe And Other Cemeteries In Xinjiang

Xinjiang is located in the middle of the Silk Road and it also acknowledged as theintermediary zone in east and west cross-cultural communication. Both relatively independentregional characteristic and multicultural features appered in ancient Xinjiang. The developmentof primitive agriculture, livestock farming in Xinjiang began in the Bronze Age.Thedevelopment of animal husbandry not only supplied food for people, but also provides thematerial of handicraft industry, such as leather, wool fiber and wool fabric. The dry and rainlessclimate of Xinjiang is an advantageous environment to save fabric, so there were wool fabricexcavated in some cemeteries.At present, the research on Xinjiang unearthed wool fabric mainly from territory, culturaland religious characteristics through fabrics structure, color, pattern and so on. Few studies basedon fiber materials. This study is baesd on unearthed wool fabric in three cemeteries in Xinjiang,including Shanpula Cemetery, Yanghai Cemetery and Xiaohe Cemetery. The study analyzesamples from fiber material. First,we judge the raw material and preservation condition of thesample by observing transverse and longitudinal morphology of fiber. Second, the research try toanalyze the different preservation conditions of samples based on the analysis of the samplecomposition and physical structure through combining with infrared spectroscopy andmorphology.Through a lot of morphology analysis, the sample can be classified ‘intact, damage onset,continuous deteriorate, completely disintegrate’ according to fiber’s morphology. Themorphology of transverse is ‘the full round or oval-cracks-broken into semicircle-disintegration’.The morphology of longitudinal is clean surface and clear scales-cracks and a few of pollutants-fissure and obvious pollutant-Splitting, obvious pollutant. ATR test results show that, the higherof the sample’s aging grade, the weaker of absorption peak about1535cm-1. This peak isdisappeared at the worst samples. We use the specific value of absorption peak height between1535cm-1and1645cm-1to represent the aging grade, defined as I1535/1645. Spectrum analysisresult shows that the crystal substance on sample surface mostly are calcium salt and sodiumsalt. Textile heritage contains a large number of historical and cultural information, researchersneed to assess samples’ aging grade and protecting method. But unearthed fabric is a kind oforganics, which is hard to preserve in several years under earth. It is impossible to provide alarge amount of sample to research. Based on this reason, we prepared thermal aging sample andanalyzed the fact of temperature and humidity in the aging process. The main test methodsincluding morphology analysis, infrared analysis, X-ray diffraction analysis and amino acidanalysis. We try to find characterization methods, which also applicable to unearthed woolfabric.The results show that, the change of yellowness index degree with time can reflect thethermal aging process of artificial sample. The influence of humidity on the samples greatlyincrease under the high temperature; breaking strength with aging time can be exactly reflect theprocess and degree of aging, but breaking strength tests cannot be used in unearthed fabric; drythermal aging effects little on wool fabric, wet thermal aging makes adhesion between fibers;thermal aging makes the crystallization index of wool fiber reduced, the lower the temperatureand humidity, the higher the crystallization index; the absorption peak at1076cm-1in theinfrared spectra disappeared under the condition of serious thermal aging. Cystine oxide reducedor even disappeared in the process of aging; the absorption peak in amideⅠbecome weak underthe wet thermal condition.Comparing with unearthed wool fabric of three tombs, samples of Shanpula Cemeterywere in good condition, samples in Yanghai Cemetery were next, samples in Xiaohe Cemeterywere worst, which conform to burial time. Compared with the unearthed wool fabric and thermalaging wool fabric, the two have large difference in morphology analysis, infrared analysis andamino acid analysis. So the thermal aging is not the main factor of unearthed wool fabric in thestudy.