Indoor Archeology*
By Charles H. Fairbanks, Junior Archeologist, Ocmulgee National
Monument, Macon, Georgia.
IN THE popular imagination the archeologist is a
mysterious fellow who delves in the ground and periodically emerges with
exciting news of some striking discoverya rare object, bones of
strange people long since buried, remains of ancient towns and villages,
or other material evidence of the existence of man in past ages. He is a
sort of glorified ditch digger who, spade in hand, pushes back the
boundaries of our knowledge of human life before the dawn of history or
adds concrete information to support the written record of the historic
past.
In reality the archeologist is a scientist whose work
requires the use of many and varied techniques. When he drops his spade
and trowel and climbs out of his excavation his work is but half done.
Armed with voluminous field maps, sketches, and notes, he moves his
excavated materials indoors. There, in his specially equipped
laboratory, he painstakingly analyzes his finds and compares them with
discoveries made at other sites. Then he prepares the detailed reports
which announce to other archeologists and to the world at large the real
nature and significance of his findings.
![female archeologist examining excavated pot](fig4-7.jpg)
Using metal profile gage in
reconstructing an excavated pot in the archeological laboratory
at Ocmulgee National Monument.
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The Ocmulgee laboratory was established for the
purpose of cataloging and studying the large collections of
pottery and other objects excavated since 1933 at Ocmulgee
National Monument, Macon, Ga., and a number of nearby sites. This
extensive excavation program resulted in about 30,000 storage boxes of
potsherds (fragments of Indian vessels), flint tools, bone and shell
ornaments, and numerous other objects of Indian manufacture.
The laboratory was established early in 1938. It took
over the staff of the earlier field laboratory which had been operating
during excavation. Temporary quarters for storage and office space were
obtained in the Macon Municipal Auditorium. The staff consisted of 35
clerical workers supplied by WPA, ERA, and CCC, under the direction of
two supervisors.
The first problem was to catalog adequately all the
material and to index the voluminous field notes and observations
written by the excavation staff. During excavation the archeologist
separates the material into groups according to the evidence revealed in
digging. Thus a single field number may be assigned to a single object
or to a collection of similar objects from the same location, soil
level, house floor, burial, and the like. In the case of whole pottery
vessels, stone tools, and similar materials each object is given a
separate number. Small potsherds, broken tools, scraps of animal bone,
and related objects are lumped together so that all of the materials
from one place may be handled at the same time. This segregation depends
upon the judgment and knowledge of the archeologist. Notes are taken
for each separate piece on the surroundings, soil condition, associated
objects, depth, or other items of significance. The notes, together with
a running account of the excavation, are returned to the laboratory
where they are typed, indexed, and preserved for future reference.
The purpose of cataloging is to make each collection
readily available for analysis together with the notes describing its
discovery. In the laboratory a number is first assigned to each object
or collection. This consists of a serial number and an abbreviation
identifying the site by county. This is written on the object
in India ink, or, in the case of beads and other small objects, on an
attached tag. The number also appears in the upper
left corner of the catalog card as shown in the accompanying
illustration. The catalog card also contains (at the left side)
references to various notes, profiles, maps, or photographs of the
material. On the right side of the card are recorded the site name,
field number, horizontal location, depth, and associations, together
with a description of the material. The location in the storage spaces
is given at the bottom. The cards are typed in triplicate
and filed by master catalog number, site
(geographical unit), and by material (bone, stone, shell, or pottery).
When the catalog cards are completed and filed it is possible to learn
all the information available by consulting the file under any one of
the three headings.
More than a million objects have been cataloged in
this manner. These fall into some 35,000 collections representing
either single objects or boxes of sherds, flint, or bone fragments. This
large number of objects is temporarily stored in approximately 10,000
boxes, 10 exhibit tables, and 35 feet of shelves for whole vessels. The
great majority of this mass of material came from the Macon plateau and
the Lamar tract, the two areas of Ocmulgee National Monument.
![group of women writing ID numbers on pottery fragments](fig4-8.jpg)
Identification serial numbers are
written in India ink on pottery fragments when excavated objectes are catalogued.
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The second phase of work in the laboratory is the
preservation and restoration of excavated material. All human bones from
burials, as well as bone tools, such as awls, punches, and needles, are
strengthened by saturation with a solution of synthetic resin in
acetone. Shell beads and ornaments must be cleaned carefully before they
are strengthened with the same solution. Wood and charcoal specimens are
preserved by soaking in a mixture of paraffin and gasoline which makes
them more easily handled by the dendro-chronologist. These wood
specimens are vitally important because it is hoped that exact dates
for the various occupations can be determined from a study of the
climatic changes as recorded by the growth rings. Copper ornaments from
the historic Creek occupation are cleaned with chemicals
to prevent further corrosion, and reveal something of the original
appearance. These copper bells, buckles, bracelets, and other ornaments,
when cleaned of the green patina, reveal an attractive yellow
color that readily explains why copper was such a favorite article of
trade among the Indians. Many glass beads from the
Creek village and shell beads from the earlier settlements must be
strunga considerable task when it is considered
that more than 26,000 minute shell beads were found with a single
burial.
![storage of artifacts](fig4-9.jpg)
Temporary storage of cataloged objects.
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Finally, the pottery vessels which have been crushed
by burial in the earth or broken by the Indians must be restored to
their original form. The first step is to fit and glue together all the
pieces recovered. In many cases it is then simply a matter of filling in
with plaster of paris a few small missing fragments. Often, however,
only a third or a half of the vessel is found. In this situation it is
necessary to construct a mold of clay by the use of the pottery wheel to
support the sherds while the lost section is replaced. This is done
only in cases where similar vessels are at hand in sufficiently intact
condition to indicate clearly the shape of the missing parts. The
reconstruction of badly broken vessels from as many as 200 pieces is
often an extremely delicate task compared to which the most difficult
jigsaw puzzle is child's play. The work of the restoration unit provides
material for museum exhibits and enables the archeologist to get a
better picture of the objects as the Indians actually used them.
![artifiact card](fig4-10.jpg)
Triplicate cards are filed by master
catalog number, by site (geographical unit), and by material (bone,
stone, shell, or pottery).
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The third function of the laboratory is to analyze
the materials with a view toward making technical reports. Analysis
depends upon the habit of human beings to make things in "style." Thus
the various Indian settlements on the Ocmulgee had different styles of
pottery, tools, and ornaments. Within a single group these styles
changed with time or the influence of other groups. The archeologist
calls these styles "types" and by careful study identifies the various
types, their changes, and relationships to other types.
*From The Regional Review (National Park
Service, Region One, Richmond, Va.), Vol. III, No. 3, September 1939,
pp. 9-13.
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