Eric Walker, “Analysis History and Reintegration of Sampled Archaeological Collection”
Mentor: Megan Thorton, Anthropology, Letters & Science (College of)
Poster #97
Through the Support for Undergraduate Research Fellows (SURF) program, this project included organizing, analyzing, and documenting an assemblage of ceramic sherds, carbon samples, and clay samples from archaeological sites and locations in Wisconsin, Iowa, and Illinois. These items were originally part of a Research Grant Initiative (RGI) through the Anthropology Department at UWM. Some of these items were selected as examples of archaeological material to be used for radiocarbon dating and compositional analysis. A primary goal of my research was to connect the items with archival records, identify research that has been conducted using these items, and develop an inventory of these samples. Incorporating information already documented for these items, including radiocarbon dates, ceramic composition, and cultural context, this research produced a technical memo describing the assemblage. provide future researchers with a standard reference with which to interpret the assemblage. This project proves the value of systematic file organization within archaeological research to ensure valuable data remains accessible and meaningful to future researchers. Future work includes rehousing the archaeological materials, cataloging the items, and identifying additional documentation.