AT THE ARCHAEOLOGY LAB BY CATHY RYBA

OUT IN THE FIELD Once everything has been bagged and tagged in the field, it is taken to the lab.

Where do they keep artifacts? All of the artifacts found in the region of the Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center are kept in the basement. Here you see Alice holding a partial rib of a mammoth.

Matrix Bags The Matrix bags are brought in from the field. Each one has the provenience written on it. It is set on trays with newspaper to allow the soil to dry out.

Floating the Matrix Once the soil is dried, it is taken to a grated area, or sink, and water is added to the soil. The purpose of this is to float any organic material that may be in the soil.

Screening Then the water is put through a very small screen to collect anything that may have floated. This is called the light fraction.

Light Fraction This light fraction is then put into a cloth. It is tagged with the provenience and then allowed to dry.

Heavy Fraction What is left of the matrix is called heavy fraction. This is also screened and the soil is washed away and what is left are the artifacts that did not float. It also is bagged and tagged with the provenience.

Light Fraction Once the light fraction is dried, it is taken to the lab to be analyzed. Most of this is done by microscope. It needs to be separated by type of substance and then collected in small tubes or bags. It also needs to be tagged with the provenience.

Light Fraction As you can see, this is a very tedious and time consuming job. All of the items in the dish need to be identified and then separated.

Artifacts from the Field All of the artifacts collected in the field are taken back to the lab to be cleaned, identified, and tagged with the provenience.

Cleaning the Artifacts This is no high-tech process. With a bucket of water, paint and tooth brushes, and elbow grease, the artifacts get cleaned and set on trays to dry.

Bag and Tag Then they are placed in bags with the provenience written on acid free paper. All of the artifacts from the site are catalogued. All the artifacts from a site, feature, and level are kept together and placed in a box to be stored at the center.

Pottery This is one of the largest artifacts found during our field school. A portion of the pot was broken in transport.

Pottery 101 The parts that need to be put together are prepared with a certain substance. They do not use glue because of its toxic nature and what it might do to the pottery itself.

Pottery 101 The parts are placed in sand to allow them to set and not be in danger of breaking more.

Pottery 101 Very carefully they are put together. They will be placed back in the sand to give them more time to set. The pot sherd will eventually be placed with the other artifacts from the site. If enough pieces are found, it could possibly be put together and a mostly complete pot could be made…..

Pottery 101 like this pot in the lab.

Artifacts in the Lab Here are two artifacts that are in the lab. The top one is a mastodon tooth. The bottom one is a mammoth tooth.

Oneota Tools Here are two examples of hoes used by the Oneota. The top one is a bison scapula hoe and the bottom one is a shell hoe.

The Experience Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Everything needs to be given their provenience so that the future people will know what has been found and learn from it. From the field to the lab, archaeology is a study of human activity in context. It is very back breaking, exciting, scientific work that is often overlooked. We need to understand and learn from the past so our future can see where we have been as a species and be able to look into the future with optimism and hope.

Note: This PowerPoint presentation was created by a teacher participating in an ESEA Title II grant-funded project for use in the teachers' classrooms. It reflects the individual’s experience at a particular site and is not intended to accurately reflect what happens on all archaeological investigations around the country or world. The teacher participated in professional development activities provided by: Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center University of Wisconsin - La Crosse 1725 State Street La Crosse, WI Web site: All material Copyright © Mississippi Valley Archaeology Center at the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse