The article discusses the conservation and analyses of two excavated
textile fragments from Egypt that belong to the Museum of Modern
Greek Culture in Athens. The fragments entered a previous museum
collection as part of a private donation in the nineteenth century and
bibliographical sources suggested the two fragments once belonged
to the same object, and are potentially associated with a third fragment
belonging to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
The analysis presented here further corroborates the hypothesis
that the two fragments are associated, and provides solid evidence
for any future comparison with the third fragment. Due to the poor
condition of the two finds, radiocarbon analysis had to be repeated
and, for the same reason, the conservation methodology followed
for drying the fragments after wet cleaning had to be dramatically
adapted, and in contrast to the normal procedures developed and
embraced by the conservation community. Nevertheless, both analysis
and conservation were successful and beneficial to the finds.