Handbook for Basic Archaeological Specimen Processing

Author(s): Smithsonian Institute Missouri Basin Project

Year: 1959

Summary

The Missouri Basin Project was established in 1946 as a large-scale archaeological and paleontological salvage operation. The laboratory of that project, located in Lincoln, Nebraska, processes large quantities of archaeological specimens each month. This laboratory is neither a museum nor a permanent repository for specimens. It is a research laboratory in which specimens brought in from the field are cleaned, prepared, cataloged and repaired preparatory to technical analysis and preparation of interpretive reports. After the specimens are processed and analyzed, and the reports are completed, they are temporarily stored here until they are transferred to the National Museum or other permanent repository.

This handbook is designated to outline procedures for processing specimens brought into this laboratory. It is based upon more than a dozen years of experience with these specimens and is intended as a guide for the processing of a maximum quantity of items within a minimum of time. It is specifically intended to provide the processors in this laboratory with a written guide to their duties and with written instructions as to how to perform each of the many specialized tasks that arise in processing these specimens.

Cite this Record

Handbook for Basic Archaeological Specimen Processing. Smithsonian Institute Missouri Basin Project. Lincoln, Nebraska: Smithsonian Institute Missouri Basin Project. 1959 ( tDAR id: 391802) ; doi:10.6067/XCV89S1RZB

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

Keywords

Material
Basketry • Building Materials • Ceramic • Chipped Stone • Dating Sample • Fauna • Fire Cracked Rock • Glass • Ground Stone • Hide • Human Remains • Macrobotanical • Metal • Mineral • Pollen • Shell • Textile • Wood

Investigation Types
Collections Research • Methodology, Theory, or Synthesis

Geographic Keywords
Missouri River • Nebraska (State / Territory) • North America (Continent) • North Dakota (State / Territory) • South Dakota (State / Territory) • United States of America (Country) • Wyoming (State / Territory)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -110.325; min lat: 40.98 ; max long: -96.482; max lat: 48.922 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Sponsor(s): Smithsonian Institution

File Information

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