Processing

Processing All collected materials should be cleaned (if appropriate), identified, and weighed in the lab. Before cleaning each artifact, the recorder will check its condition (e.g., for friability) and analyze its surface for easily lost information (e.g., false form minerals, organic materials, pigments, etc.). Artifacts should then be cleaned in a manner that preserves the information they contain (see the NPS guidance http://www.nps.gov/archeology/collections/field_03.htm for more information on cleaning). After they are clean, all diagnostic artifacts should be labeled to record site number, provenience, and catalog number. Care should be taken to ensure that important features like edge wear are not obscured during labeling. In the event that an artifact cannot be labeled, it is crucial to make sure that a labeling tag is included with the artifact and contains the provenience information. Artifacts, such as fire cracked rock (FCR), brick, metal, roofing and building materials, coal and cinder, and unmodified chert cobbles, should have a representative sample retained, with the remainder being weighed, recorded, and discarded. Decisions regarding discard must be made by the PI, in consultation with experts in the research potential of the materials in question, and the MSSHPO. Only materials that are not temporally or stylistically diagnostic may be discarded. Any sampling strategy must account for possible destructive analysis of a portion of the sample in the future. The sampling strategy will vary among sites, but samples from all features must be retained potentially from all proveniences. The strategy must address potential research questions with regard to special and temporal variation. Further questions regarding curation, such as an appropriate representative sample percentage should be directed toward MDAH Archaeology staff on a case-by-case basis. Please use the following guidance for culling representative samples: 1. Fire-cracked rock (FCR) not associated with features may be discarded. FCR from features should either be retained in full or sampled. 2. Save only whole bricks, dimensional bricks, or bricks with maker’s marks. If there are duplicates, save only a sample. Discard all non-dimensional brick. 3. Discard any unrecognizable metal lumps with active corrosion. 4. Retain a sample of roofing materials, such as slate or tiles. 5. Retain a sample of mortar, asphalt, plaster, cinder and coal. If any materials are discarded, indicate in the artifact catalog which materials were discarded or sampled and what percentage was retained. Also, indicate on the artifact bags whether the contents were sampled and the percentage that was retained. Provide a written explanation of the sampling strategy used for each artifact class, a justification, and the location where the materials were discarded. ***For collections from Phase I Survey projects over 500 acres or Phase II or Phase III projects, the sampling strategy should be discussed in the Research Proposal submitted prior to initiation of the project. The sampling strategy should be discussed and approved by MSSHPO. Numbers written on artifacts should be reversible. Acryloid (or Paraloid) B-72 is the sealant of choice for its longevity. A small labeling area should be chosen, and an undercoat of the Acryloid B-72 placed on only this area of the artifact. The artifact will then be labeled on this area using a Rapidograph, quill, or steel-nib pen and black or white India ink. No felt-tipped pens, self-stick labels, tape, rubber cement, fingernail polish, or typing correction fluid should be used to label artifacts. After allowing sufficient time for drying, an additional coat of the sealant is to be applied over the label. As an alternative to the white ink, white Acryloid B-72 is available commercially and may be substituted for the undercoat (a clear overcoat is still needed). All diagnostic and/or distinctive artifacts will need to be labeled, as well as any artifacts that are to be cross-mended, separated for specialized analysis, or for display. All artifacts will be bagged individually or by type in self-sealing polyethylene bags at least 4 mil thick. Those available as food storage bags are not acceptable as they are often not polyethylene. A descriptive tag should be enclosed in each individual/type artifact bag. This tag should give provenience, description, and count for the contents. Artifacts may be bagged by provenience or type (i.e., ceramics, lithics, etc., from all proveniences stored together, or all types of artifacts bagged by excavation provenience) based on the analysis needed. However, the laboratory methods section of the report will detail this information. The researcher should strive to curate all artifacts in a manner that will allow future researchers to duplicate their methods. Additional attention needs to be paid to fragile or easily damaged artifacts in the bagging process so as to not inflict accidental harm (such as heavy or sharp artifacts, for example, should be bagged separately from fragile ones). Identification tags for boxes or bags will be prepared. Tags will be made of an inert, waterproof, archaically sound material (e.g., Nalgene, Tyvek, polyweave, etc., or an acid-free paper tag inserted into an appropriately sized polyethylene self-sealing bag) and marked with ink that is fade-proof, waterproof, and archaically sound. The bags containing the artifacts will be labeled as well. All information on the exterior of the bag will be repeated on an internal tag of the type described above. Laboratory staff should be aware of curation policies of the various repositories (for collections to be curated with MDAH, see conservation and curation policy Section 10.5.). Additionally, all artifacts should be handled to the standards of SHA/SSA/AIA and 36 CFR Part 79.