Why So Blue? The Great Island Tavern and Its Legacy

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Storeroom Taphonomies: Site Formation in the Archaeological Archive" session, at the 89th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

Archaeological collections and their perpetual care allow archaeologists an opportunity to right wrongs and revisit interpretations of site formation and identity. Looking at past methodologies through our twenty-first-century professional standards allows for a more objective review of both field and post-field practices. Over time, management decisions can have lasting effects on collections that archaeologists continue to spend time and money to unravel. We will present a case study of the Great Island Tavern collection from Cape Cod National Seashore that was excavated in 1969. The site lacks credible field documentation and an inherent bias led to a questionable interpretation of the site. The artifacts have suffered irreversible damage from ad hoc display techniques, experimental conservation, and manipulation of computer data. These well-intended attempts to rectify past mistakes further diluted the data that can prove the identity and function of this site. Both the initial field and legacy collection teams worked autonomously without any foresight for the long-term viability of this collection. The work that now remains can best be described as the archaeology of archaeology. The inherent bias assuming that “storage room” work and collection management are not actual archaeology hampers efforts to work toward higher standards.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Storeroom Taphonomies: Site Formation in the Archaeological Archive   •
• Society for American Archaeology 89th Annual Meeting, New Orleans, LA (2024)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 38760.0