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I am quite familiar with the conditions you describe since I work in South Asia. Your principal consideration should be how much time you have to spend cleaning the specimens and whether the kind of information you require can be obtained from uncleaned or only partially cleaned specimens. In order to obtain useful information on taxon frequencies, epiphyseal union, tooth eruption and wear, etc., you may need to analyze much more of the collection than would be possible if you carefully cleaned every piece. Not all zooarchaeological information is equal, and you should tailor your approach to the questions you are asking and tailor the questions you are asking to the time you have available for obtaining the data to answer them. Mechanical methods of cleaning risk marring the surface of the bone unless the concretions can be "popped off". As Simon Davis notes, acid cleaning can damage the bone itself and should be used with caution and only after you have carried out tests to discover the efficacy and destructive potential of the various acids and dilutions. There is not really a completely satisfactory way to proceed. Good luck. Richard H. Meadow Zooarchaeology Lab. Peabody Museum Harvard University Stephanie Meece wrote: > Hello everyone > > I will be spending the summer studying a collection of bones from the > Indian southern Neolithic, at Deccan College in Pune, India. Many of > these bones are heavily crusted with hard calcium concretions, making > it impossible to see their surface condition. I am looking for ways to > remove this encrustation without harming the bones themselves. Nerissa > Russell has kindly shared her advice, suggesting the use of a > vibrating engraver to detach the crust. Does anyone else have > experience with this problem? > > many thanks > Stephanie Meece > > ______________________.__________________________.____________________ > Stephanie Meece > Department of Archaeology > Downing Street, > Cambridge CB2 3DZ > U.K. >