Anoxart

Customer Challenge

In early 2025, ANOXART was engaged to treat a mummified person and coffin for a potential insect infestation as a preventive measure during the Store Move project at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA), Cambridge.

The object consisted of the lid and base of an anthropoid wooden coffin and a mummified person of unknown origin. The mummified individual was located in the lower part of the coffin, which had been altered, with a glass casing added, likely during the 19th century. The wooden lid existed as a separate object. Both elements were stored in a bespoke crate on castors, with trays allowing the coffin and remains to be lifted out when required.

Due to the extreme sensitivity and historical significance of the object, careful planning was required before treatment could begin. Transporting the artefact off the museum premises was not considered appropriate due to the risks involved.

Why

Background – Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA)

The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (MAA) is dedicated to the story of humanity, covering hundreds of thousands of years of human history, world cultures over recent centuries, and Indigenous life and art today.

For nearly 140 years, the museum has served as the repository for archaeological discoveries from Cambridge and the surrounding region. Founded in 1884, MAA reflects the growing scholarly and public interest in archaeology and anthropology that developed during the late nineteenth century.

Museum curators have historically been Cambridge academics who, together with university lecturers and research students, built the museum’s collections through fieldwork across the world. These collections preserve and reveal the stories of people through the extraordinary objects they created, both past and present.

Given the significance and fragility of the artefact involved in this project, any treatment needed to meet strict museum conservation standards while ensuring the object remained safely on site.

The Eltek Solution

Anoxart implemented an anoxic treatment system that could be safely deployed within the museum stores in Cambridge. A key advantage of the Anoxart system, supported by Eltek’s remotely monitored data loggers, is its portability, allowing the treatment to take place without moving the object off site.

This approach eliminated the significant risks associated with transporting the artefact while maintaining strict conservation conditions. Anoxart’s conservation expertise and art handling experience also enabled them to provide comprehensive Risk Assessments and Method Statements (RAMS) that met museum protocols and ensured the object would be handled with the utmost care.

With detailed information about the object and clear building plans provided by the museum, the team was able to streamline the setup process. The treatment chamber was installed in a designated area away from working spaces, with access to an outlet that allowed Argon gas to be safely siphoned.

Once anoxic levels were achieved, the system could be disconnected, allowing equipment and gas cylinders to be removed from site. This ensured minimal disruption to the museum’s operations and working environment.

Eltek collaborated with Anoxart to develop a bespoke monitoring system capable of measuring oxygen, temperature, and relative humidity inside the chamber. Eltek’s remotely monitored oxygen sensors can measure levels as low as 0.01% oxygen, ensuring precise monitoring throughout the treatment.

Through cloud-based access, clients were able to log in at any time and view detailed data confirming that oxygen levels remained anoxic and that environmental conditions remained stable. Real time monitoring of temperature and relative humidity further ensured that the treatment met strict museum conservation standards.

Measurable Results

The Eltek monitoring system allowed the museum team to track environmental conditions throughout the treatment period in real time, providing transparency and reassurance that the process was proceeding as planned.

By accessing the data transmitted from the monitoring system placed inside the chamber, museum staff could follow oxygen levels and environmental conditions throughout the treatment and confirm the successful application of the anoxic process.

Client feedback:

"The experience of working with Anoxart has been entirely positive and we will not hesitate to call them again in future if an object requires anoxic treatment for pest control.

From the start of the conversation about the feasibility of anoxic treatment for our needs, we benefited greatly from the Anoxart team's prompt and proactive communication. In the very limited time frame we were able to offer as part of the Stores Move project, they provided comprehensive information about the proposed timeline, method applied, and any potential risks.

The team were extremely resourceful while on site and worked with and around us. The treatment set up was perfectly tailored to our busy working space as well as our project schedule, without compromising the effectiveness of the treatment.

By allowing us access to the data transmitted by the Eltek based monitoring system placed inside the chamber, we could track the readings across the treatment period and witness the successful application first hand.

It has been an absolute pleasure working with Maxwell, Jessica, and Will, and we'll happily recommend their service to colleagues from the museum world." – MAA