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Burial Removal and Preservation of Bones

The present tendency is for archaeologists to know enough about
metric and morphologic observations so that they may work up the
skeletal material from their excavations. With the exception of measurements
such as skull capacity, these usually can be done in the field.
Thus one determines just what material should be saved, and the bulk
of the "scrap" can be discarded without first carrying it back into
town, thus saving both storage space and shipping expenses.

It is highly desirable to preserve and to catalog all skeletons in the
field, if the conditions permit. Alvar,[23] a commercial preparation, has
been found to be very well adapted to the preservation of friable bones,
and with it many which could not otherwise be used are saved for
measurements. Sizing glue in a rather thin, warm solution may be
brushed over bones or may serve as a liquid into which to dip and thus
to preserve bones which are chalky or fairly friable.

All bones should be cleaned of as much dirt and mud as possible at
the time of their removal from the ground. The transportation of
skulls full of earth should be avoided. Should a skull crack and break,
it should not be fitted together again before transportation, for the
broken edges are easily shattered by motion during transportation.
Each broken portion should be wrapped separately in newspapers to
protect it so that eventual restoration is facilitated. Many bones, and
especially skulls, may be treated with a preservative in situ, thus avoiding
any fractures at the time of removal.

Most important from the point of view of the archaeologist is the
culture stratum with which the skeleton and burial goods may be
correlated. Therefore, in the excavation of a skeleton two things must
be determined: (1) does the burial appear to have been intruded into
the deposit within which it rests, or (2) was it laid down with the
deposit? If it was intruded into the deposit, from what archaeological
level did it come? Such problems as these are solved only by carefully
searching for the outline of a pit into which the burial was laid
and for the level from which the pit originated. If the burial is accompanied
by mortuary offerings of pottery, these may aid in determining
its horizon.

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Fig. 6—Burial Records from Mounds 50 and 51