Walking in the Shadows of Archaeologists Past

Researching Museum Collections and Associated Records to Elucidate past Lifeways

Bibliographic Data

ID11380383
AuthorsElizabeth A Crowell (Parsons Engineering Science, corresponding author)
Year2000
Volume21
Issue2
Pages97-106
Publication date2000-04-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueNorth American Archaeologist (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0197-6931 • E-ISSN: 1541-3543
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.2190/xmnr-q2jc-93be-q5ry
OpenAlexW1994989106
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited2

Researching museum collections and associated field data, in addition to consulting modern scientific studies, can provide a great deal of information about the presence and nature of archaeological sites in a locale. This article was developed based upon collections research conducted for prehistoric archaeological sites in Washington, D.C., using the collections of the National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, and other repositories. The state of collections varies widely. Some collectors gathered only perfect completed tools and other objects, while others collected these materials and debitage. The state of documentation ranges from complete and exacting with precision rivaling modern-day to non-existent. The importance of examining museum collections and private collections, where available, cannot be downplayed. Sometimes they possess the only clues remaining regarding certain practices which occurred in the past and can provide information not otherwise available to the researcher

Archaeology · Collections management · Documentation · National Museum of Natural History · Natural history · Prehistory · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and Natural History · Computer Science · History · Museums and Cultural Heritage · Ecology

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