Kelli,
Re-cataloging archaeological collections is always a daunting task and
there are a few things to keep in mind as far as storage is concerned. I
would strongly caution against any type of re-sorting of the
archaeological materials unless done by a trained archaeologist who is
familiar with lithic identification and classification. Size grading
may be useful for storage but is not necessarily representative of a
specific stage in the reduction process. I would sort through the bags
and remove any chipped stone tools - stone that has signs of use wear,
retouch, or formal shaping - and assign them numbers using the original
inventory number with a capitalized letter at the end to identify it as
newly separated from its original lot. As you probably already know,
whatever system you devise or changes you make, be sure to document them
for future researchers, curators, and collection managers. While we do
not physically re-label artifacts we do record previous number,
classifications, and provenience/association information in their
catalog entries.
Jasper (chert, flint, etc.) will crush and chip - a feature called "bag
wear" - if the right amount and frequency of physical force is applied
to it. Generally, bag wear is not a catastrophic threat, it can be
recognized during analysis and it can be minimized/mitigated in some
relatively simple ways. The first is not to over-pack your bags or
boxes. Like Pam suggested, if you have giant bags crammed full of
flakes you may need to split them into smaller bags and label them
accordingly, i.e. 1 of 2, 2 of 4, etc. We use trays in our storage
containers to make two levels within a box; that way we can put the
larger/heavier bags in the bottom levels and the lighter, more fragile
lithics, sherds, and bone in the top tray.
Another thing that will help is to minimize the amount of handling and
moving of their storage containers. Debitage will be relatively stable
in boxes that aren't being moved around. You don't need to treat it
like fine crystal, but a little tenderness goes a long way in preserving
your stone. You could make/put foam padding in bags or boxes, but that
is very time consuming and expensive. Nested foam padding can also lead
to destruction of artifacts if it is difficult to remove them for study.
Hopefully this isn't too redundant. If you would like any more
information feel free to contact me.
Chad
--
Chad W Landsman
Laboratory and Collections Manager
Luther College
700 College Drive
Decorah, IA 52101
(563) 387-2156
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