Hi, Imola: I also think on-site education is important, that is to say,
the direct interaction with other (non-archaeozoologically-oriented) staff
and with volunteers. Of course having an official protocol is good, but
though staff may read such, volunteers, who are the ones who are often the
first to touch any find, usually do not. And I find that volunteers
positively lap it up and are extremely grateful for any expert instruction
they receive.
Therefore, every time I get a chance, I tell our folks:
(1) Control yourself when you first see the item -- in your excitement,
you're going to want to go fast to get it out and see what it is, but you
have to go slow for fear of breaking it or missing nearby bones that might
go to it
(2) Don't turtle my teeth
(3) Keep a real sharp eye out for small stuff.
These simple instructions have greatly improved the number of times I
don't get "edentulous" jaws, and on two occasions have resulted in the
recovery of mouse-sized remains (teeny bones in a glob of mud, the mudball
being carefully cradled up to the research hut so as to not lose
anything).
I also, whenever possible/permitted by our site director (and this is
often enough if it's raining buckets outside), volunteer to spend an hour
with all the dig volunteers crowded into the research hut, giving them
some kind of talk or other designed to help them better understand what
they're digging. Or sometimes I do this during lunch hour, especially if
something exciting has come up during the morning and I know everybody
would like to know about it. So, I teach them to tell cows from horses,
show them which teeth are more likely to fall out if the jaw is turned
upside-down, help them to understand how scrappy busted cow skull is still
identifiable as cow skull, or how to tell a femur from a tibia. This is
just friendly and courteous as well as being useful. I am of the belief
that we are all equals, that everybody's contribution is equally vital,
that we're all in the quest together and therefore we all as much as
possible need to be on the same page. Hope this helps -- Dr. Deb
> Imola,
> This link will allow you to download a pdf of the recent English Heritage
> Guidelines for animal bones in archaeology. It might be a good place to
> start to demonstrate collection strategies for archaeologists, as well as
> easily allowing you to distribute it to colleagues, though you may wish to
> make modifications for your specific circumstances:
> https://www.historicengland.org.uk/images-books/publications/animal-bones-and-archaeology/
> Best wishes,
> Don.
> Dear zooarchers,
> do any of you work with a protocol that tells archaeologists how to
> handle/gather animal remains on site, in case you/the zooarchaeologist
> can't be there? I have a few ideas about what I would expect, but I'd love
> to hear other opinions, too.
> Thanks a lot and regards,
> Imola
>
> *Imola Kelemen*
> *archaeozoologist*
> Muzeul Secuiesc al Ciucului
> 530132 Miercurea Ciuc, Piata Cetatii 2.
> www.csikimuzeum.ro
>
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