Accessioning MSU’s Archaeology

Numbers are important for archaeologists. We number each excavation we do, each hole within our surveys, and every single bag of artifacts we fill. These numbers help us keep organized. We can match the bag numbers with the site numbers, shovel test numbers with specific artifacts, and survey areas with map locations. On MSU’s campus we are constantly digging, and we need these numbers. Over the next year we will be dealing with some very important numbers: accession numbers.

Josh working in the lab to clean artifacts for cataloging,  via Katy Meyers
Josh working in the lab to clean artifacts for cataloging, via Katy Meyers

Accessioning is the process of creating a permanent and unique record of an archaeological. The accession number is the way of identifying the particular collection. After collections are identified, the accessioned assemblages then become formally integrated into a museum that will assume the obligation of care and management. In order for a collection to be accessioned, every item within it must first be inventoried and described within a catalog, then the objects within it must be assigned unique identifiers related to the accession number, and all archaeological documentation related to the collection.

Each number represents a specific collection from a single dig, or a specific survey, or can include a number of surveys or digs that take place at the same site. For example, we will be asking for a single accession number for each of the different buildings. Any material from that particular building will be organized into a single collection. However, if there are artifacts that are from the same survey but drastically different sites, like a historic and a prehistoric, they will be put into separate accessioned groups.

Over this next semester, I will be going through all of our excavation and survey records to create an argument for why they each are important and should be accessioned. This is an exciting project that we are undertaking, and one that is extremely important for the program.

 

 

Author: Katy Meyers Emery



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