Advantages and limitations of micro-computed tomography and computed tomography imaging of archaeological textiles and coffins

We have recently studied northern Finnish archaeological textiles extensively using computed tomography (CT) imaging. These textiles have been found in inhumation burials from the Late Medieval church of Valmarinniemi in Keminmaa and the Postmedieval church of Haukipudas. In this article we discuss the advantages and limitations of CT imaging based on three case studies. Based on the research objectives and the size of studied items, we utilised three different CT scanners: clinical systems and micro- and nano-scale X-ray microscopes. We were able to visualise a child’s coffin and a doll inside, which is a larger scale sample. We were also able to study and reconstruct the complicated structure of a tablet-woven band, as well as identifying individual fibres when examining smaller textile samples with submicron resolution. Even though we observed some limitations in the image quality, we conclude that computed tomography has great potential in the research of archaeological textiles in both 3D and cross-sections and is often easier and more informative than conventional microscopic or other archaeological methodologies.