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Ancient Egyptian coffin panel prepared for the Book of the Dead exhibition at the British Museum

Conservators at the British Museum prepare a panel of an ancient Egyptian coffin for display in the exhibition Journey through the afterlife: ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead. © Trustees of the British Museum . Created by British Museum.

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Video transcript

this piece of wood is part of an Egyptian coffin it is going to be in the museum's next major exhibition but before it goes on display the back of the wood needs some loving attention in conservation Ln is looking for splinters that could catch as it is handled and has found some that need filling and securing to fill the gaps she uses chopped up Japanese paper that's been dyed to blend in with the coffin and like a black bird feeding its babies delicately swoops down with her tweezers with her surgical syringe loaded with glue she gently inserts a minut amount into the tissue filled crack putting the glue in after the paper is inserted helps prevent staining even though the back of this Egyptian coffin board won't be seen on display in the exhibition it is crucial that conservation work is carried out so that it can be preserved and enjoyed by many generations to come you