Everything that is not living (besides research ideas) is bagged up and labeled. The artifacts are separated according to unit, feature, level, date. The same applies to the dirt set aside for flotation. This bag of dirt is taken to the flotation machine I introduced to you in an earlier post. The residue is then taken to a screen where the small, botanical remains are separated from the heavier artifacts. The artifacts like bones and pottery are washed and placed in the containers like pudding cups and medicine bottles to be analyzed and labeled. The same applies to the other artifacts in other bags. These artifacts are washed, sorted, then washed one more time.
The lab expert then sorts the artifacts even more based off their distinctive characteristics such as whether it is thermally altered, had cordmarks, or is a certain type of organic material. These characteristics along with where the artifacts came from (unit, feature, level) as well as an identifying number are written down on a piece of paper for the lab workers to write down. The identification number is written on the artifact with archival safe ink, which is then covered with a clear protective liquid called soluvar. The information about the artifact is written on an archival bag and an acid-free tag and placed in a bag to place in storage for further research when needed or placed on display in the museum.
It may seem like there is only a little work done in the lab, but we are still working on artifacts from 2010, meaning that work can get backed up and the work being done is time consuming. However, that does not mean that the work done is not enjoyable. In fact, I enjoy it incredibly and find it to be the best work I could do because I get to play with artifacts all day long.
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