The Potential of Systematic Collections for Archaeological Research

Abstract

SUMMARY The potential usefulness of archaeological collections is immeasurable, but like any organization a collection is as good as its integrity. The degree of integrity of old museum collections is often underestimated, with unfortunate consequences to their usefulness as curation becomes lax or the materials are dispersed. The systematic feature of collections is their greatest asset no matter how old or limited they are. This integrity is fragile and rarely retrievable, although there are circumstances in which fragments of objects scattered in many holdings can be brought together to restore an important collection. A case study of artifacts from a unique prehistoric site of Spiro in eastern Oklahoma illustrates the effect that varying degrees of systematic collection have on the information useful to modern scientific analysis. At the same time it shows how a unique artwork in marine shell can be restored through the rejoining of fragments scattered among many collections.

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