Wood is one of the most significant renewable resources utilized worldwide. Because of its mainly advantageous technological properties and its aesthetic value, wood was used in an ancient time and is still used in our modern living environment nearly everywhere. Wooden artefacts remaining from human use not only provide us with an interesting picture of the skills and ingenuity of past generations.  The changes in wood structure tell us a lot about the environment that was present when the wood was in use.

Wood and wooden artefacts are organic materials subjected to the recycling chemistries of the nature. In broad terms, wood is produced from the basic building blocks of carbon dioxide and water and it is recycled by nature back to carbon dioxide and water. Many of the historical wooden objects we have today have undergone some chemical and physical changes. Most of them have been lost due to the fragile nature of the material. Therefore, the preservation of archaeological wood is rare, but when it is found in good condition, it is important to get the maximum amount of information out of it. The only way that this can be done is by rapid response to new discoveries by well-trained specialists. Wood is usually preserved only in conditions which are so extreme that the organisms that damage wood cannot survive.

The discovery of the remains of the Lusatian culture defensive settlement in Biskupin and the work undertaken at the excavation site have had a big input in the history of Polish and European archeology and culture of the 20th century. The conditions of the remains, the size of the discovered site and the scope of the undertaken excavation work has resulted in the fact that up to now the Biskupin Lake peninsula is the best-known and the most thoroughly examined wet archeological site in Central Europe. The significant amounts of wood created a great challenge for the researchers at the excavation site. We have known that a wet organic material require immediate protective treatment, followed by costly conservation and exhibition. It was recognized that the surviving remains of the settlement should undergo preservation that would enable the site to be saved for future generations.

However, recent policy change to preserve archeological site by leaving it in situ  rather than excavating it. Thus wooden structures are being preserved by maintaining the waterlogged anaeorobic deposits in which they are buried. The current preservation state of Biskupin wood is assessed on the basis of its physical properties, chemical composition and the results of microscopic and microbiological tests. The undertaken research has an interdisciplinary character and it is the first project of its type carried out in Poland. The work that started many years ago is still being continued and its scope is constantly being complemented and extended. 

There are many products currently available to consumers, leading to a competition between wood and other materials such as metals, plastics, mineral materials or high-technology “new” materials. The main drawbacks of wood are its sensitivity to moisture change, limited durability against biological attack and anisotropy. If these drawbacks could be influenced by new chemical treatment or wood modification technologies, the position of wood could be decisively enhanced since other properties such as price, density-strength ratio or sustainability make it a very attractive material. Chemical or thermal modification of wood aims at enhancing various wood properties such as durability, moisture sorption, dimensional stability, strength and hardness. To stay competitive with other, often non-sustainable materials, we are searching for novel treatment methods to upgrade the wood properties.

To study and understand the changes that wooden artefacts have undergone with the passage of time, changes that may have essential importance for preservation, it is important to understand the structure and chemistry of wood. Thereby the importance of the knowledge of archeological wood in the development of new sustainable wood-based materials and wood preservatives cannot be underestimated.