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Archaeological
Laboratory Methods
At the conclusion
of the field season all excavated artifacts were moved to San Diego State
University’s North American Archaeology Laboratory located in the
Dede Alpert Center for Community Engagement in the City Heights neighborhood
of San Diego. At this facility, lab workers washed, labeled, and cataloged
every artifact.
Students washed the artifacts in plain tap water with soft and medium
bristled toothbrushes. The washing took place using dish-drainers and
colanders in order to prevent any artifacts from inadvertently going down
the drain. Each individual bag of artifacts was washed separately to prevent
the mixing of contexts. Artifacts made out of specific materials such
as leather or wood were not washed in water, but cleaned with a dry brush.
All cleaning endeavored to protect the integrity of the artifact. The
bag tag from the artifact bag was kept with the artifacts on the drying
screen to prevent context information from being lost.
Once dry, each artifact was labeled. Only the following types of artifacts
were labeled: Glass, Ceramic, and Fauna. Artifacts made out of leather,
stone and metal were not labeled as the chemical consistency of the labels
could damage porous artifact types. The labels consisted of a layer of
nail polish, a very small hand-written description denoting the Nate Harrison
site (NH), the ER number, and the specific level--for example NH2A--and
then another layer of nail polish to seal the label. The nail polish was
either clear or opaque white depending on the color of individual artifact.
All of the sealing layers were clear. The nail polish used in the lab
for this purpose was New York Color Long-Wearing Nail Enamel 138B (clear)
and Wet ‘n’ Wild Nail Color 449B, French White Crème.
The labels were written using Pigma Micron 005 #1 archival ink pens. To
ensure that the labels adhered properly, it was important that the first
coat of nail polish was completely dry and untouched before using the
pens to write the label. If not, the label tended to bubble and had to
be reapplied. After each artifact was labeled and the label was thoroughly
dry, it was then bagged.
Archival quality, zip-lock bags were used to ensure long-term storage.
Each artifact type within a unit layer was bagged together, with the ER
number written on the exterior of the bag. All of the artifact types were
then combined in one large bag labeled using a black Sharpie marker, with
the ER number and layer, the description of the layer, the date of excavation,
and the names of the excavators. If all of the artifacts did not fit into
one large bag, they were put into multiple bags and labeled accordingly,
e.g., Bag 1 of 3. An example of a label was as follows: NH1A, Rootmat,
6-11-2004, Eischen, Sweeney, Werle, Bag 1 of 3. A new paper label was
placed in the main bag with the exact same information found on the exterior.
Each artifact was then cataloged in terms of the following: Site Name,
North Coordinates, East Coordinates, ER Unit, Layer, Layer Description,
Excavator(s), Date Excavated, Material Category, Material Type, Object,
Object Description, Attributes, Maker’s Mark, Date Range, Color,
Height, Length, Width, Weight in Grams, Diameter, Quantity, Mends to:,
Removed for Electrolysis, and Notes/Interpretations. In the end, only
the artifact type categories from the paperwork were used in the actual
database, but taxonomic classifications were evident in the designations
“Objects, Object Descriptions, and Notes/Interpretations”
(see Appendix B).
Once each bag of artifacts was cataloged, the exterior of the bag was
marked with a circled “C.” At this point, all artifact types
were examined for mends, beginning with individually bagged and cataloged
units. Mends were secured using blue painter’s tape, as it does
not leave a residue on the artifacts. In future excavations, mends will
be secured using artifact-safe glue. Once mends within each bag were completed,
cross-mends were identified between units. All mends were noted in the
artifact catalog.
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