Ancient proteins reveal secrets of Uvdal Stave Church

Zahra Haghighi conducted this study in collaboration with scientists from the Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU) and the Globe Institute at the University of Copenhagen.

Revealing the Past Through Proteins

“Through studying materials made of proteins, such as bones, and materials containing protein residues, like binders in paintings, palaeoproteomics allows us to solve a number of problems in archaeology and art conservation,” Haghighi explains.

This scientific method involves extracting ancient proteins from archaeological samples and trying to understand their origin. Several steps are involved in each analysis, such as sample preparation, data acquisition, and data analysis. “Proteins provide valuable information about the tissue and species from which they derive. Additionally, proteins can survive for longer and in harsher environments than other materials such as DNA. These qualities make proteins a promising source of archaeological information”.

COLLECTING SAMPLES: Zahra Haghighi is collecting samples for palaeoproteomic experiments at the Blombos Cave archaeological site in South Africa. She wears gloves, a hair net, and sleeves to avoid introducing contaminants (such as keratin proteins from hair and skin) to the samples.

Photo:

Irene Erken

Preserving Norway's Cultural Heritage

Haghighi says that these promising results also demonstrate the potential of palaeoproteomics for improving our understanding of the methods used and the resource allocation during the decoration of stave churches in Norway.

“This is especially important because today, only 17 stave churches decorated with distemper paint remain in Norway, meaning that the potential sources to provide relevant information are extremely limited,” Haghighi says.

Uncovering Human saliva proteins from the paint samples

“We examined several hypotheses for the deposition of saliva on the Uvdal painted boards. We believe that saliva proteins originated from an attempt at the time of discovery to remove dust and dirt”, Haghighi says.

She further explains that using one’s own saliva, known as spit or saliva cleaning, was previously one of the most common methods for cleaning a painting's surface in the museums. Our study shows that a high number of modern contaminants such as saliva proteins could potentially hinder future research, highlighting the necessity for careful handling of historical objects. 

Understanding cultural properties

“Our shared goal is to preserve cultural heritage for future generations. Achieving this involves enhancing our understanding of cultural properties, including their composition and production techniques.  In our paper, we present a tool which allows us to achieve these goals. In addition, we highlight how restoration methods and materials can impact future research and therefore urge art conservators to make informed decisions.” Haghighi concludes.