DMTA and solid-state 13C NMR techniques were used to measure historical parchment samples which were studied in the project MAP (MicroAnalysis of Parchment; contract no. SMT4-CT94-0514) in collaboration with the School of Conservation in Copenhagen. DTMA (dynamic mechanical thermal analysis) was used in both thermal scan and creep modes. Thermal scans provided information on the transitions associated with the collagen polymer. Micro-thermal analysis was also used to obtain information on the topography and thermal conductivity of sample areas of 100 [mu]m. Localized heating enabled measurements of softening transitions in the sample. This behaviour is influenced by the chemical composition of the parchment. 13C NMR provided information on the carbon atoms associated with the polypeptide chains of the collagen in parchment. The behaviour of samples immersed in water and measured in DMTA creep mode was used to track the shrinkage behaviour of the parchment samples. The different but complementary techniques provided a means for characterizing the physicochemical state of parchment samples. -- SCMRE