Archaeological Curation
federal funds can be used to do two things, (1) buy/build and maintain repositories; (2) contracting with independent repositories for curatorial services
According to 36CFR79, how does it say that federal funds can care for collections?
the lineal process of societal development
During the Museum era, archaeology followed a specific characterization of culture. What was it?
Archaeology was solely associated with museums, and archaeologists were hired by museums to conduct research and find items for them to exhibit.
During the Museum era, what was the relationship with archaeologists and museums?
There was a large construction boom, which caused the expedited process of salvage archaeology. There was a heavier emphasis for excavations to save sites, rather than the actual curation of the materials.
During the Post-war era, what was happening in archaeology?
the lineal stages of progress
Many museums during the 19th century decided to organize their collections by what process?
- how archaeology gets done - finite resource - save for future analytical techniques - new research questions/foci - accountability
What are some of the reasons why collections are important?
Stalling's fiber tempered and Thom's creek sand tempered ceramics
What are the two types of ceramics found at the Midden Point site?
the modern museum
What did "cabinets of curiosities" eventually give rise to?
increased professionalism, systematic collection, and scientific inquiry aligned archaeology with anthropology
What did Smithsonian's Bureau of American Ethnology do?
The "Curation Crisis" is the ever expanding culmination of past and present archaeological collections that are in need of proper curation. This is often caused by fieldwork being emphasized and advertised over curation, thus leading to the lack of curatorial training. many archaeologists will abandon their collections, leaving many to be orphaned with no provenience information. This all stems from the lack of funding usually extended towards the curation process of archaeology. We can end this tragedy by reaching out to the public more and making them aware of the crisis. We can raise funds in repositories by offering more tours, and let the money be used to train more recruits in labs training to be curatorial assistants. You can also add curation to field schools, making it mandatory for students to understand both sides of the archaeological process. Another method to resolve this issue would be to make curation classes mandatory for those pursuing a path in archaeology.
What is the "Curation Crisis"? What is causing it and what can we do to resolve it?
The Midden Point site is located in Burke County, GA. It was at first simple surface collection and limited testing, originally started in 1991 by the Department of Natural Resources and Dr. Sassaman. Later in 1992, Dr. Sue Moore conducted a 1x1 excavation, and then in 1993 Dr. Steve Hale conducted a 2x2 unit.
What is the Midden Point site, and what is its significance?
Preservation of American Antiquities
What is the accompanying regulation of the American Antiquities Act of 1906?
- cultural materials - non-cultural materials - field notes, maps, forms - lab records - digital data - interpretations/reports - proposals
What is typically included in collections?
In the early 20th century, museums shifted their focus to gathering support from the public, and archaeology was becoming recognized more as a profession. Universities founded programs specifically for the field of archaeology and anthropology. This key moment began the curation crisis of today.
What led to the end of the Museum era?
objects from ancient Greece and Rome
What objects were most sought after during the period of Antiquarianism?
new deal programs
What programs helped to develop the field of archaeology in the 1930s/1940s?
the late Archaic period (5,000-3,000 BP)
What time period is the Midden Point site representative of, based on the cultural materials found?
In the beginning of the European Renaissance and well into the 19th century, the wealthier classes would keep extravagant "cabinets of curiosities". These menageries of cultural artifacts were intended to show off the wealth of these individuals, and how elaborate their collections were.
What was Antiquarianism?
There was a new emphasis on the scientific approach and identifying systems and processes. This meant that collections were needed more for comparative analysis, meaning they needed to be curated.
What was Processual Archaeology, and why was it important?
its goal was to address international movement of cultural items and curtail looting for international art market; called for the licensing system for exportation of cultural materials
What was the 1970 Standard?
- no deadlines for these regulations to be carried out - no enforcement powers - does not cover collections outside of the federally-owned collections
What were some of the issues with 36CFR79?
- contained deadlines for compliance and penalties for non-compliance - contained provisions for a grant program to comply with the law - established NAGPRA review committee to oversee NAGPRA cases - inventories of NAGPRA materials
What were some of the requirements of NAGPRA?
- appropriate accessioning and cataloguing system in place - dedicated facility space capable of providing long term care accordance with curation standards - security protocols - qualified museum professionals - environmental control - disaster plan - data backups - regular inventories/inspections - access to collections
What were the basic standards of 36CFR79?
American Antiquities Act of 1906
Which act provided the president the ability to declare historic or prehistoric properties as national monuments?
NHPA, NEPA, and AHPA
Which acts are responsible for the development of compliance archaeology?
it was the first law since the American Antiquities Act to SPECIFICALLY mention the care of archaeological collections; called on the secretary of the interior to issue regulations
Why was the Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974 important?
It was a shell midden site, which preserved the bone pins beautifully. However, the site was looted very extensively.
Why was the Midden Point site salvaged?
museum
a place where objects of historical, scientific, artistic, or cultural interest are stored and exhibited
collection/assemblage
an analytically defined set of material remains and their associated documentation, usually from a particular spatiotemporal context
orhpaned collection
archaeological materials that have lost curatorial support or were abandoned prior to transfer to a qualified curatorial facility
context
characteristics of archaeological data based on their association with other archaeological materials and the provenience
artifact
discrete object used or modified by humans
36CFR79
law passed in 1990: government wide regulation for curation of federal archaeological collections as required by previous acts
eco-fact
non - artifactual evidence that has cultural relevance, usually providing environmental information
feature
non-portable artifact, usually architectural remains
legacy collection
similar to orphaned collections except that collection control or ownership is clearly demonstrated
archaeological site
spatial location of past human activity that leaves an archaeological signature
three age system
stone, bronze, and iron ages
archaeological curation
the ongoing process of managing and interpreting archaeological collections over the long term
archaeology
the study of past people from their material remains
Secretary of Interior's Standards for Archaeology and Historic Preservation -- 1983
these regulations provided key advice on aspects of archaeological and historical preservation activities, stipulated a need for adequate space
National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966
this act authorized the national park service's national registry of historic places, and established state historic preservation offices (SHPO)
Museum Properties Act of 1955
this act authorized the secretary of the interior to preserve objects found in national parks and provide public access to the materials; allowed some deaccessioning of collections -- no specific curation standards
Archaeological and Historic Preservation Act of 1974
this act continued to broaden the federal government's responsibility to preserve sites being destroyed by the government -- up to 1% of projects spent on recovery, protection, and preservation of data
National Environmental Protection Act of 1969 (NEPA)
this act included national and cultural resource management, which took into account all socio cultural impacts into account (affected growth of CRM industry)
Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act of 1990
this act provided a procedure for the repatriation of human remains, funerary objects, sacred objects, and objects of cultural patrimony to Native American lineal descendants or culturally
Archaeological Resources Protection Act of 1979
this act strengthened permitting procedures for excavating on federal lands, stronger penalties for unauthorized excavations -- required authorization and written agreement where materials would be curated
Historic Sites Act of 1935
this act was designed to protect federally owned sites but lacked any standards for collection curation
Reservoir Salvage Act of 1960
this act was designed to survey archaeological resources that would be affected by federal reservoir projects, curation not a priority
American Antiquities Act of 1906
this act was the first major cultural resource protection law in the United States, which protected sites on federal lands from looting (established fines) and established permitting process for archaeological research on federal and tribal lands
Smithsonian's Bureau of American Ethnology
this group was important to the development of American archaeology during the Museum era
C.J. Thomsen
this person created the three age system
Preservation of American Antiquities
this was the accompanying regulation of the American Antiquities Act that required the submission of catalog of artifacts and photographs to Smithsonian regarding permitted excavation, and established that collections held by public institutions that are dissolved must be transferred to "proper national repository"
provenience
three dimensional location of archaeological materials in the matrix
smithsonian trinomial
unique identifiers for individual archaeological sites in the United States
