In 2024, the Biochemical Research Laboratory was formally inaugurated at Matenadaran, providing a scientific platform for conducting contemporary research. The laboratory’s activities contribute to the scientific substantiation of restoration processes and their alignment with international professional standards.
The principal directions of the Biochemical Research Group’s activities are as follows:
- Microbiological and entomological examination of manuscripts and documents
- Disinfection of damaged materials and development of treatment methods
- Determination of ink acidity and study of neutralization processes
- Analysis of the chemical composition of pigments in medieval Armenian manuscripts
- Investigation of new methods for the consolidation of paints
- Study and testing of new plant-derived antiseptic and anti-fungal agents
- Study of the ageing processes of medieval paper and parchment, and the development of new non-toxic materials for their preservation
- Examination of medieval leather bindings, their classification by tanning type and degree of damage
Among the prospective directions of the laboratory’s development are the conduct of joint research with international scientific centres, the publication of scholarly papers, and the organisation of seminars and training programmes.
Within the framework of the collaboration established with Trinity College Dublin, a preliminary phase of genomic analysis of parchments has been carried out, enabling the determination of the animal origin of raw materials and the technological characteristics of medieval production methods.
With the participation of the Biochemical Research Laboratory, the Department of Restoration at Matenadaran also conducts research on damaged manuscripts preserved in diaspora centres and provides expert professional consultancy.
Head of the Group of Biochemical Research of Manuscripts: Gayane Eliazyan
Ph.D. in Chemical Sciences
Phone: +374 10 511700, extension: 1-30