Characterization and Preservation of Archaeological Bamboo Cultural Relics: Microstructural, Chemical, and Environmental Perspectives

Abstract

Bamboo served as an important writing support and raw material for tools and daily objects in ancient Asian societies, yet archaeological bamboo remains far less systematically reviewed than archaeological wood, paper, and parchment. Owing to its lignocellulosic composition and hierarchical vascular structure, archaeological bamboo is highly susceptible to hydrolysis, oxidation, microbial attack, and post-excavation dimensional instability. A structured search of the Web of Science Core Collection, completed in June 2026, identified 134 records for screening; after predefined eligibility assessment and exclusion of studies unrelated to archaeological or heritage bamboo, 75 studies were ultimately included and cited in this review. Unlike previous publications that address bamboo structure, degradation, or digital reconstruction separately, this review integrates archaeological context, graded anatomy, material deterioration, analytical characterization, treatment compatibility, inscription preservation, and computational restoration within a unified conservation-science framework. Evidence from Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, and thermal analysis is synthesized to link chemical loss with microstructural collapse and mechanical fragility. Excavation stabilization, dehydration, polymer consolidation, environmental control, artificial aging, digital reconstruction, and artificial intelligence-assisted fragment reassembly are critically evaluated. The available evidence indicates that bamboo-specific conservation research remains limited and that several treatments are still extrapolated from waterlogged wood or paper conservation. Major research gaps include standardized condition-assessment indicators, quantitative long-term treatment data, ink–substrate compatibility studies, and validated decision frameworks for archaeological bamboo conservation.