TEKS Correlations

Grades 4-7

Science

1. Scientific processes. The student conducts field
and laboratory investigations following home and
school safety procedures and environmentally
appropriate and ethical practices. The student is
expected to:
(A) demonstrate safe practices during field and
laboratory investigations.

2. Scientific processes. The student uses scientific inquiry methods during field and laboratory investigations. The student is expected to:
(C) analyze and interpret information to construct
reasonable explanations from direct and indirect evidence.

Grade 4: (4.8) Science concepts. The student knows that adaptations may increase the survival of members of a species. The student is expected to:
(B) compare adaptive characteristics of various species; and (C) identify the kinds of species that lived in the past and compare them to existing species.

Social Studies

Grade 4:22, Grade 5:25, Grade 6:21, Grade 7:21
Social studies skills. The student applies critical-thinking skills to organize and use information acquired from a variety of sources including electronic technology. The student is expected to:
(A) differentiate between, locate, and use primary and secondary sources such as computer software; interviews; biographies; oral, print, and visual material; and artifacts to acquire information about the United States and Texas; (B) analyze information by sequencing, categorizing, identifying cause-and-effect relationships, comparing, contrasting, finding the main idea, summarizing, making generalizations and predictions, and drawing inferences and conclusions.
 
 

Step 6: Cataloging Artifacts and Objects

Goal: to familiarize students with the need to carefully and correctly identify, keep track of, and store found materials for the purposes of research and reporting to the scientific community and the general public.

Objective: students will identify the artifacts and objects excavated in previous activities in order to prepare them for analysis.

Materials Needed: (Download)
-catalog forms
- measuring tapes

Activity Description:

  • Students will continue to work in the same groups involved in the previous activities on archaeological processes.
  • Fill out one catalog form for each artifact excavated. Make sure all spaces are filled in.
Additional Information

Artifact Identification

Identification of bone material should be attempted only with a comparative collection. Identification and cataloging of bone material is based on the Linnean classification system which identifies an organism by placing it in groups with similar organisms. These groups become smaller and smaller and the organisms in the group share more and more characteristics until one reaches the species level which includes one single organism type.

The classification system used is as follows : example: modern bison
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Mammalia
Order: Artiodactyla
Family: Bovidae
Genus: Bison
Species: bison

Identification of pottery and lithics can be based on a type collection or standard typology (e.g., Handbook of Texas Archaeology).

LANDMARK CATALOGING PROCEDURES - explanation

Numbering

Make sure that any information, tag, or artifact slip is kept with the artifact.

Catalog number is to be written directly onto the artifact, with the exception of specimens too small to have numbers written on them. Put an undercoat of 5% PVA in acetone on the artifact first, number the artifact, and cover the catalog number with a overcoat of 5% PVA in acetone. (PVA is a chemical substance, polyvinyl acetate, that allows numbers to be placed on an artifact without harming the object itself.)

Place individual artifact in its own bag or box for proper storage.

Label the box, bag, and/or the drawer where the artifact will be stored appropriately.

Check artifact slips with information on excavation forms and write catalog number and identification on them.

If the artifact is bone, fill out a Faunal Measurement sheet with measurements for long bones, calcaneum, astragalus, metapodials, phalanges, atlas, axis, skull, mandible, scapula, and pelvis. This information will assist researchers in determining the correct species of animal.

Packing and Housing

Bone artifacts (flakes, debitage, tools), shell artifacts, and other proteinaceous objects should be wrapped in acid-free neutral tissue paper and placed in plastic bags, lignin-free trays or boxes.

Lithics, ceramics, and cellulosic artifacts are wrapped in acid-free alkaline buffered tissue paper and placed in plastic bags or boxes. A small piece of acid-free paper with catalog #, site #, strat/feature, and identification written in neutral pH ink or 2-1/2 pencil should be placed in the bag or box.

Large materials can be placed directly on properly padded drawers or acid-free alkaline buffered boxes. The drawers and boxes should be padded with at least 1/4" thick microfoam or polyfiber sheeting and covered with acid-free (neutral or alkaline buffered) tissue paper.

Specimens are put away within a collection in a systematic, hierarchical fashion, based on the extent of data available. Specimens should be placed together on the basis of provenience information (site, area, strata, feature, etc.), material (bone, lithic, ceramic, etc.), and specific typologies (species and elements for bone; flakes, debitage, and tools for lithics; types and rim and body sherds for ceramics; etc.). For example, in an excavated collection, after cataloging, materials from an identified unit (e.g. occupation surface, activity area) would be segregated into categories (e.g. pottery, lithic, bone, plant). Everything from one category from that identified unit should be put away together. Within each category, artifacts of the same type (e.g. lithic flakes, lithic debitage, and lithic tools) would be placed together. For bone material, further separation may be necessary because of the volume of material recovered. For example, from an identified unit, bone materials are housed together by species and elements (skull parts, long bones, etc.).

Packing for Transportation

Boxes should be of a strong cardboard material. Smaller size boxes (not larger than 1-1/2' x 2') should be used especially for heavy materials like stone implements. Padding may be of any soft material, e.g., newspaper, styrofoam, tissue paper, shredded foam, or paper towels depending on the materials being packed.

Each bone should be individually wrapped except for bone scrap. Bone tools and very fragile bones or other fragile items should be very carefully packed, preferably with cotton or polyester padding. Boxes containing very fragile items should be so marked on the outside. Bone, lithics, pottery, microfaunal and floral material, and other types of material should be boxed separately.

As items are packed, an inventory is made for the collection as a whole and for each individual box. Each box is numbered and the items in that box listed on an inventory for that numbered box.