부산대학교 도서관

Papyrus (Cyperus papyrus) is one of the important recording media used before the invention of paper. Even today, it is produced by following the traditional method of boiling Papyrus stems, making sheets, and then crossing them in a grid pattern. Accordingly, Papyrus is characterised by its material's heterogeneity and bidirectional orientation. The belief that restoration of Papyrus using the same materials and techniques as the original preserves its authenticity has led to the consideration of using a restoration material for Papyrus with a similar degree of degradation as the original artefact. For this reason, in this study, Papyrus was artificially degraded by exposing it to ultraviolet-C (UV-C) radiation for 8 weeks, and the degradation of Papyrus was observed over different time periods. The research results showed that the degraded Papyrus exhibits a loss of flexibility, had surface damage, darkened in colour, and an increase in the yellowness index. Also, its moisture content initially increased but then decreased, likely related to the colour changes. Additionally, the pH change in Papyrus due to degradation was minimal. Degraded Papyrus could be easily trimmed into the desired form during the early stages of degradation, but as degradation progressed, the sheet layers of Papyrus separated, eventually making trimming impossible. Hence, to utilise Papyrus as a restoration material, it is advisable to choose Papyrus with a similar weight and colour to the artefact and subject it to ultraviolet-C irradiation for a maximum period of approximately 2 weeks. This study was conducted to examine and characterise the ultraviolet degradation of Papyrus. Furthermore, it anticipates subsequent research using the loss-filling method with degraded silk in Papyrus artefact conservation and the integration of preservation practices between East and West.