Database Testing

Our Western University work study students Sarah (left), Rabia (front right) and Mark (middle right) are hard at work in our Digital Conversion lab, testing the database with boxes of archaeological collections recently transferred by our partners, Archaeological Services Inc. Working closely with our database team (including Colin, sitting in the center) they will work through the data entry forms for sites, intra-spatial contexts, and artifacts by entering real world data from site reports and artifact catalogues. In addition to working with the data entry forms, they will also be testing hardware tools that feed directly into the database (no transcription required!), including the DM barcode scanners, digital scales, and digital calipers.

Zooming in on Microscopic Analysis at SA

Sustainable Archaeology has a new piece of analytical equipment - a Nikon SMZ-25 stereoscopic microscope. We are excited by the versatility of this new instrument, which will allow us to view objects within a range of 6.3 to 315x magnification with both direct and transmitted light sources.

Chad Steele, from Nikon Canada, puts the SMZ-25 together.

No single piece of equipment has arrived at our facility intact - everything from our humidity readers to our microCT scanner, even our building, have arrived in multitudes of pre-assembled pieces. This single microscope was no exception - above is an image of just a fraction of the packaging that this piece of equipment came in.

The SMZ-25 is a fully automated microscope; magnification, zoom and even lighting are mechanically adjusted either on the computer or the separate control unit/monitor. Besides magnification, there are a number of lighting options that increase the versatility of the system. It has a transmitted light source in the base that forces light up through an object, allowing us to view things like thin-sections of ceramic or soil on prepared slides. There is a ring light that sits on the lens, providing even illumination of an object, such as a trade bead, from the top-down. And there are goose-neck fibre-optic lights that allow us to move and adjust the angle of the light source to capture and highlight surface details on an object, such as use-wear on the edge of a projectile point. Oblique coherent contrast (OCC) illumination provides contrast and colour to otherwise clear and colourless objects such as diatoms (microscopic algae) or starch. The unit is also equipped with a 5 megapixel camera for capturing publication-quality images, and the Nikon NIS-Elements software comes with the ability to focus-stack (z-stack) multiple images upon one-another in order to capture a clear image with a greater depth-of-field.

Nikon SMZ-25 stereomicroscope with camera and remote control unit.

We look forward to using the microscope to examine floral remains such as seeds and even pollen, phytoliths or diatoms from archaeological sediments. It will also be used to examine the temper inclusions in ceramics, cut marks on faunal remains, usewear on tools, to identify the species of wood/charcoal samples and even examine fingerprints in clay objects. With analytical software capable of defining regions of interest and morphology, counting, measuring, and filtering, this stereomicroscope makes a valuable contribution to the Imaging capabilities of Sustainable Archaeology: Western.

Mezzanine Box Packing Stations

After receiving several exciting deliveries from our packaging suppliers, we have set up two box packing/artifact processing stations in the repository's Mezzanine. Our stations will be used by SA staff when Sustainable Archaeology has been contracted to re-package collections as part of a transfer. 

 Each station includes trays for laying out artifacts, polyethylene bags, polypropylene vials, clay desiccant and polyethylene foam from Uline, as well as other archival supplies from Gaylord, such as acid test pens (for testing whether packing tissue is acid-free) Paraloid B-72 resin (used to affix the tiny DM code catalogue numbers to artifacts), and gloves.

For more on Sustainable Archaeology's standards for packing collections, please visit our website and browse through our Procedures and Practices.

January Arrivals at SA

Happy new year to our blog readers! We've had a busy January so far, welcoming two new arrivals to the facility: our (much anticipated!) 3D printer, and our new artifact cabinets. 

 

The 3D printer is a 3D Systems ProJet 660Pro from vendor Progressive Educational Systems Inc. The ProJet 660 uses a composite powder rather than plastic for its build material, and has the capability to create replication-quality pieces in full colour. Stay tuned for our inaugural "first print" post!

Interior view of the printer

In addition to the printer we received our Delta and Rousseau cabinets from Spacesaver Solutions Inc. The cabinets will be used to house special or fragile artifacts.

Notes from the SA: Fall/Winter 2013

The Fall/Winter 2013 edition of the SA newsletter Notes from the SA is out! Click through the pages below to view online, or download directly from Issuu.

Flotation Machine in Action

Featured in a previous post, Sustainable Archaeology's soil flotation machine from R. J. Dausman Technical Services, Inc. was put through its paces today. A team from New Directions Archaeology Ltd. was on site to un-crate and set up the machine, running the first tests out in the Lawson village at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology, next door. They will be floating dry sediment samples over the next few days that they have collected from some recent excavations the company has been working on.

The machine requires access to running water for its initial fill, as well as access to a source of electricity for circulating the water in the tank. After its initial fill, the machine recycles water within itself to allow for light-fraction flotation, and heavy-fraction rinsing with an attached spray-hose. The material captured in the screens is then allowed to dry on newspaper before it is packaged, and later analyzed. The fine mesh, as seen in the images below, allows for the capture of tiny floating artifacts, such as tobacco seeds. A courser mesh filters the heavier fraction of sediment, which can include artifacts such as shell, bone and pieces of flaked stone tool.

Collections Repackaging at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology

Over the last week volunteers and work study students at the Museum of Ontario Archaeology have been working to prepare the Museum's collections for transfer to Sustainable Archaeology. The work includes the removal of any cardboard, paper bags, newspaper, and any other non-archival quality materials. When complete, the collections will be held in inert, acid free, archival quality materials, including polyethylene bags, acid-free tissue, and polyethylene foam. The repacking effort is guided by the Sustainable Archaeology Collections Procedures and Practices. The Procedures and Practices document, including standards for collections packaging can be viewed on our webpage. We are currently accepting feedback on this draft document, which be provided directly from the website by clicking the orange "Feedback" button to the left of the page.

Museum volunteers and work study students repackaging collections. Image courtesy of the Museum of Ontario Archaeology.

 The repacking project will continue throughout the summer in the Museum's temporary gallery. Visitors to the Museum are invited to view the students and volunteers while they work, and to ask questions about the process and the collections.

Tweaking and Testing the RFID System

OCR Canada was on-site this week at SA: Western performing "tweaks" to the install of our RFID system. Every box of archaeological material held at the Sustainable Archaeology facilities will be identified by an RFID tag, and RFID tracking technology will be integrated into the SA database. The RFID system will be used at both the SA: Western and McMaster facilities to track the movement of boxes both within and between the two facilities.

The "tweaking" of the system involved testing the range of the RFID antennas at the portals installed at every room entrance and every exit/entrance point in the facility, to ensure that the signal strength of the antenna was strong enough to track the movement of boxes, but not so strong as to incur false reads when a box passes close to, but not through a portal.

Now that the portals have been optimized, we can proceed with testing the integration of the RFID system into the inventory management component of the database.

Guest blog: Ancient DNA and its applications to Ontario archaeology

Our latest Sustainable Archaeology: McMaster guest post is by research volunteer Chris Kendall, a fourth year Honours Anthropology student at McMaster University.

Ancient DNA and Its Applications to Ontario Archaeology

By: Chris Kendall, Honours Anthropology (IV), McMaster University

My role as a research volunteer at Sustainable Archaeology: McMaster, attempts to marry the molecular biological side of anthropology with its archaeological foundations. Over the course of the past semester, I have been examining the collections, working with staff and volunteers, and preparing a technical bulletin for the application of ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis in Ontario. While I was preparing this bulletin, I kept in mind the materials available in the collections, as well as some information researchers may need when beginning a project on aDNA analysis of Ontario archaeological finds. The technical bulletin outlines methodological frameworks on how to select ideal samples for aDNA analysis within the curated samples housed at the Sustainable Archaeology. From a genetics standpoint, many of the samples hold great potential for study. An abundance of faunal remains, combined with agricultural and botanical remains, hair, and sediment may be analyzed for aDNA material. 

The technical bulletin suggests proper storage techniques for organic samples in order to optimally preserve the genetic material. For example, fibres recovered from a water-logged site should be kept in ultra-pure water and not tap water since the chlorine can destroy any remaining DNA. This document can serve as a reference guide to both external researchers interested in using the collections, but also for the facility’s staff to ensure minimal damage and contamination occur to these specimens. It is hoped that from this technical bulletin more researchers will apply aDNA analysis to the study of the faunal and agricultural remains of Ontario. 

Of particular interest to me, is trying to better understand the evolutionary relationships of Ontario archaeological dog specimens. There are many dog skeletons currently in the collection, however, no phylogenetic relationships have been established for these groups, while other North American dog samples have been widely studied (Barta, 2007; Brown et al., 2012, for example). One study by Bathurst and Barta (2004) examined a dog with tuberculosis found at an Ontario Iroquois site, which is currently stored at Sustainable Archaeology: McMaster. Bathurst and Barta (2004) made inferences about human-canine interactions of these people based upon the genetic and skeletal markers, as well as the burial context of the animal. Further analysis of similar remains could look at domestication and migration patterns, which has rarely been studied in the context of Ontario archaeology sites. 

My time spent at the lab has been extremely beneficial. The collections are vast and exciting, so the ability to work so closely with them was a great opportunity. Working with the lab group has taught me a wide variety of skills I have found to be quite complementary to my academic life as both an undergraduate and hopeful graduate student. For instance, I learned that many other sources of DNA exist apart from tissue and skeletal remains. I also became aware of several rules of thumb for storing specimens I was not aware of before researching for this bulletin, such as storing items in humid conditions can lead to hydrolytic damage of the DNA. I also learned that differing techniques for isolating and extracting DNA can give varying results, as can cross-sectioning versus powdering a tooth or using cancellous instead of spongy bone.

Perhaps the most rewarding experience of all is being in contact with individuals with such a wide variety of research interests and schools of discipline. It is interesting to work with researchers, fellow undergraduates, and graduate students all dedicated to better understanding the past human experience of living in Ontario. In doing this, archaeologists work closely with ceramic experts, who collaborate with historians, museums, bioarchaeologists, and others. This blending of mutual interest creates a dynamic work and research environment that I am extremely grateful to be involved with.

References:

Barta, Jodi Lynn

2007     Addressing Issues of Domestication and Cultural Continuity on the Northwest Coast Using Ancient DNA and Dogs. PhD Dissertation, Department of Anthropology, McMaster University. 

Bathurst, Rhonda R. and Jodi Lynn Barta

2004     Molecular Evidence of Tuberculosis Induced Hypertrophic Osteopathy in a 16th Century Iroquoian Dog. Journal of Archaeological Science, 31: 917-925, doi:10.1016.j.jas.2003.12.006

Brown, Sarah K., Christyann M. Darwent, and Benjamin N. Sacks

2012     Ancient DNA Evidence for Genetic Continuity in Arctic Dogs. Journal of Archaeological Science xxx 1-10, doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jas.2012.09.010

Shelf Labeling

As part of our testing of the inventory management portion of the database, we've begun labeling our shelves here at SA: Western. With a capacity for over 54,000 boxes, and shelves that are 16 feet high, we needed a system that would allow us to quickly and easily identify, locate, retrieve, and re-shelve collections. Our labeling system must integrate with other inventory management aspects of the database, and had to be fool-proof - imagine trying to locate a single missing box that has been shelved in the wrong location out of the thousands around it!

To ensure that boxes are not easily misplaced, we developed a labeling system that incorporates barcode scanning rather than manual data entry. Our shelf labels include both a human readable version of the alphanumeric shelf address (for easy reference out in the shelves), as well as a 2 dimensional data matrix (DM) barcode. In order to remove or re-shelve boxes, the user scans the RFID tag that contains the unique name for that box (it's Box ID), opening the record for that box. The user then either selects to "remove" or disassociate that box from it's shelf, or, scans in the shelf DM code to associate the Box ID and shelf location.

To read more about Sustainable Archaeology's inventory management system, check out the last edition of our newsletter Notes from the SA.

Sustainable Archaeology: McMaster's Telecentric Microscope

Lena Zepf (pictured below) is a Masters student in the Department of Anthropology at McMaster University. Using Sustainable Archaeology: McMaster's telecentric microscope, Lena is examining smoking pipes from sites in Ontario.

Investigating cultural transformation in south-central Ontario: 

an examination of smoking pipes

My MA thesis investigates how smoking pipes change through time, and if certain changes to style can provide insight into cultural transformation in the context of shifting settlement strategies. The purpose of this investigation is two-fold, and consists of a visual and an attribute analysis of a series of sites in the Credit River watershed in Mississauga, and surrounding area. What I am looking for is evidence of style preferences and/or local stylistic changes. Sites of interest include the Wallace and Antrex sites (located at the University of Toronto in Mississauga), as well as the River and Chappell Terrace sites (found at the Peel Art Gallery Museum and Archives).

Sustainable Archaeology at McMaster Innovation Park has provided me with access to materials from some of the southern Ontario site collections as well access to a telecentric microscope, which has allowed me to observe ceramic tempers. Preliminary results, at this time, point towards site specific preferences in style, and in increase in pipe prevalence.

Digital Tools for Archaeological Collections and Inventory Management

Collections and inventory management strategies at Sustainable Archaeology: Western were presented at the 2013 Society for American Archaeology (SAA) annual meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii by Dr. Rhonda Bathurst and Kira Westby. The poster and its abstract can be viewed below. For more information on Sustainable Archaeology's inventory management strategies, check out the April/May edition of our newsletter Notes from the SA.

Poster Abstract: Digital Tools for Archaeological Collections and Inventory Management

What does archaeology have in common with weapons manufacturers, NASA or the automotive industry? All require a means of effectively managing and tracking inventory. There is a lot that archaeologists can borrow from the standards of practice implemented by these industries. Advances in coding and labeling systems such as 2D data matrix (DM) and radio-frequency identification (RFID) can speed up the process of data input and retrieval, alleviate transcription issues related to human error, minimize damage to artifacts, and automate collection tracking. Using DM codes to label and track individual artifacts and RFID tags to manage and track storage containers, this paper demonstrates a field-to-shelf solution for archaeological collections management utilizing some of the digital tools currently employed by major manufacturing industries.

Guest Blog #5: Volunteering at Sustainable Archaeology: McMaster

Our fifth guest post was written by Julilla Paul, a third year Honours Anthropology student at McMaster University. She writes about her volunteer work at Sustainable Archaeology: McMaster, focusing on the processing, re-bagging, and analysis of coffin hardware from the St. Thomas Anglican Cemetery (Belleville, Ontario).

Volunteering at Sustainable Archaeology: McMaster 

By: Julilla Paul, Honours Anthropology (III), McMaster University

I discovered that Sustainable Archaeology at McMaster Innovation Park was going to open in this past summer, and the day I found out was the day I sent in an e-mail to ask if they were accepting student volunteers. The first thing that struck me as I entered the facility was its size. The facility is composed of a wet for processing samples and dry lab for high resolution microscopy as well as a massive storage area for archaeological collections. The storage area is a vast space lined with waiting shelves, each poised in anticipation of the arrival of archaeological material from across the province. I had spent part of the summer on an archaeological field school in Italy over the summer and I had even volunteered in a small anthropology lab before, however neither of these experiences prepared me for what awaited me in this new space. This lab was ripe with new opportunities to learn how materials from the field are processed, stored, and analyzed. Both the wet and dry labs sport an open layout, bright lights, and a general air of fresh excitement, an eagerness for what is to come. At least, that is how it is seen through the eyes of a starry-eyed student volunteer. After my inaugural tour of the facility, I was put to work building the standardized archival boxes.

Building boxes at the Sustainable Archaeology lab is a rite of passage and fulfills the practical necessity of furnishing its attached storage space. It acts as an introduction to the rhythms of the lab as well as its people and spaces. My first few weeks were spent building boxes to fill the shelves. However, short diversions from this introductory task were soon interspersed in my sessions. At first, I was introduced to the task of re-bagging artifacts for storage. All of the material coming into the facility must be re-bagged in archival grade, acid free bags and labelled based on a standardized system. My work began with the coffin hardware from the St. Thomas Anglican Cemetery sorting the decorative metal handles, rivets and nails that remained from the burials. 

Julilla working with collections in the McMaster lab

St. Thomas Anglican Cemetery was located in Belleville, Ontario and was used from 1821-1874 (McKillop, 1995). A total of 579 graves were excavated on the site in 1989 and yet it is estimated that this represents only 37% of the total number of graves present in the cemetery (McKillop, 1995). Coffin hardware on the site shows a high degree variability in style and form. While some of it was produced in the area, mass-produced coffin hardware emerged in the 19th century when the cemetery was still in use (McKillop, 1995).  

Coffin hardware from the St. Thomas Anglican Cemetery

Currently, we’re working on a pilot project using XRF to test the variability in the quality of metals used in the manufacture of the coffin hardware. This project captivated my attention because it added to my understanding of historic European burial practices and the process of understanding the archaeology of death. I have delved into the world of mortuary archaeology and what I see is fascinating. I am eager to see how the results of the analysis of coffin hardware compare to the previously conducted studies of the osteology of the individuals from this historic cemetery site. 

Brandi MacDonald using the hand-held XRF

Volunteering at a lab still in its infancy provides a multitude of opportunities for an interested student. I was introduced to a full spectrum of lab activities from building boxes to observing thin sectioning procedures. Other student research assistants and volunteers photograph artifacts, drill samples, and test standard operating procedures. These tasks have application both in research activities and the day to day needs of a lab. At Sustainable Archaeology, I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with other student research assistants and engage in areas of research that relate to my academic interests. In this vibrant atmosphere, I still leave the lab each day with the same fervent excitement that I brought with me on my tour five months ago.

Resources for additional information on the St. Thomas Anglican Cemetery Site:

Grauer, A. (Ed). (1995). Bodies of evidence: Reconstructing history through skeletal analysis. New York: Wiley-Liss Inc.

Herring, D., Saunders, S. R., and Katzenberg, M. A. (1998). Investigating the weaning process in past populations. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 105(4), 425-439.

McKillop, H. (1995). Recognizing Children's Graves in Nineteenth-Century Cemeteries: Excavations in St. Thomas Anglican Churchyard, Belleville, Ontario, Canada. Historical Archaeology, 77-99.

Saunders, S., DeVito, C., Herring, A., Southern, R., and Hoppa, R. (1993). Accuracy tests of tooth formation age estimations for human skeletal remains. American Journal of Physical Anthropology, 92(2), 173-188.

Saunders, S., Hoppa, R., and Southern, R. (1993). Diaphyseal growth in a nineteenth century skeletal sample of subadults from St Thomas' Church, Belleville, Ontario. International Journal of Osteoarchaeology, 3(4), 265-281.

Artifact DM code labels

 

Our label printers have arrived and we are now able to print off artifact catalogue numbers as tiny 3.5x3.5mm DM (data matrix) codes. The codes are printed using a thermal transfer printer on custom die-cut labels made of archival-quality polypropylene. The labels encoded with the artifact's catalogue number will be affixed to the surface of the artifact itself using Paraloid B-72, an acrylic resin. As with traditional artifact labeling methods, the acrylic resin will be applied both under and over the DM code, to both protect the surface of the artifact, and to affix the code to the artifact.

The system that Sustainable Archaeology will use for assigning and coding artifacts with DM codes has been adapted from work by Spanish archaeologists at the Centre for the Studies of Archaeological and Prehistoric Heritage at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB). Using DM codes, the archaeologists at UAB are able to tag and identify even tiny artifacts without having to write directly on the artifact surface.

Photo source: www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110119084757.htm

Dr. Rhonda Bathurst and Kira Westby of Sustainable Archaeology will be presenting a poster at the upcoming SAA conference in Hawaii in April that will introduce the DM coding at Sustainable Archaeology as part of Sustainable Archaeology's broader inventory management system for artifacts, which includes RFID tagging, as well as the DM coding of shelf locations, artifact bags, and the artifacts themselves.

Digital Artifact Ecosystems: The "Internet of Things" in Archaeology

The video below features the paper "Digital Artifact Ecosystems: The "Internet of Things" in Archaeology" (Namir Ahmed, Michael Carter, Neal Ferris) presented by Western University MA student Namir Ahmed at the Digital Engagement in Archaeology conference this past week. The conference ran November 8th and 9th at the UCL Institute of Archaeology in London, England.

Other videos from the conference can be viewed at Doug's Archaeology blog. Thanks to Doug for posting these! To see conversations and chatter from the conference, check out the hashtag #digipubarch on Twitter.

Guest Blog #3: From the Field to the Lab: Artifacts and “Microfacts” from the McMaster Archaeological Field School

Our third guest blog features the Centre for Sustainable Archaeology at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON. This post was written by Jennifer Walton, a third year anthropology student at McMaster, and Research Assistant at Sustainable Archaeology. The blog features her experience using the Centre's materials analysis equipment to examine "microfacts" recovered from the McMaster field school at the Nursery Site (AhGx-8) this past spring.

From the Field to the Lab: Artifacts and “Microfacts” from the McMaster Archaeological Field School

 By:  Jennifer Walton, Honours Anthropology (III), Research Assistant, Centre for Sustainable Archaeology at McMaster Innovation Park

This spring I had the opportunity to attend the McMaster University archaeological field school held at the Nursery Site (AhGx-8) in Cootes Paradise within the Royal Botanical Gardens. The site dates from approximately 3000 years ago and was also used as a farmstead during the historic era.  During the course of the excavation, we were responsible for conducting two different types of sub-surface surveys to find the boundaries of the site and to evaluate the differences between traditional test-pitting used in cultural resource management, and a finer resolution method.  Each student took standard test-pit samples using a shovel alongside bucket-auger samples to analyze the variability in field survey methods.  Understanding the variability in the recovery of artifacts using different techniques is important because of the history of plowing at the site, and the fragmented nature of the artifacts we recovered.  Test-pit sediment was screened in the field, following the guidelines set by the Ministry of Culture. The auger samples were later wet-screened at the Centre for Sustainable Archaeology at McMaster Innovation Park.

Using the auger at the 2012 field school

Auger sampling has been used at the Nursery Site since the 2010 field school. Since the site has been a plough zone for over 50 years, the Nursery Site had experienced heavy disturbances, resulting in the fragmentation of many of the artifacts. Auger sampling is useful in this context because it retains the entire sediment sample and the finer screening method allows for the collection of smaller artifacts, often resulting in more artifacts per litre of soil compared to traditional test pitting.  The boundaries of a site should show a decrease in artifact density as one moves away from the central area of the site, therefore augering is potentially a more effective way of finding the outer limits of the activity area, especially in highly disturbed areas. 

The bucket-auger sampling method uses a hand held device (7.5cm bucket-auger) that is twisted into the ground below the sub-soil to extract an intact sediment sample. All of the sediment is retained, and once in the Sustainable Archaeology lab, each auger sample is washed through 2mm mesh, dried, and the sediment fraction >2mm is examined beneath a stereomicroscope. The sediment from the test pits, in contrast, is screened in the field through 1/8 inch mesh and artifacts are picked in the field. It is the difference in these screening methods, in association with the methods used to identify artifacts that accounts for the variance in artifact recovery.

In the lab the auger samples were wet-screened, and the remaining fraction was viewed under a Zeiss V8 microscope at 10 X magnification to distinguish if the materials were, in fact “micro” artifacts.  Many research questions can be answered from the analysis of these samples, such as artifact densities and types of artifacts found in specific areas of the site or throughout the site as a whole.  Site boundaries may also be estimated and further insight into disturbance levels may be gained. The results from the auger samples have shown new insights into the artifact densities as well as the extreme fragmentation of the artifacts, especially calcined bone, ceramics and tertiary debitage.  Using this survey method and the resources at the Centre for Sustainable Archaeology has allowed us to identify new areas of the site which can be excavated in future field seasons.

Examples of the "microartifacts" found in the auger samples, using a Zeiss V.16 axiozoom telecentric microscope at 20 X magnification. From left to right: historic era ceramic; tertiary debitage; calcined bone; pre-contact ceramic)

 

Happy Anniversary to Western SA!

Today marks the first year anniversary of Western's SA occupancy permit. Over the course of this past year, we've seen the finishing touches done to the building, had our safety checks and we've purchased our computers, 3D scanners, MicroCT, digital x-ray and an electric work assist vehicle.We've hosted a three month 3D/animation internship and a three week thin-sectioning workshop. Our geophysical equipment has been used at a number of archaeological sites, including at Techumseh Park in Chatham, Ontario (last September), and at Fort Erie this summer. We've welcomed tours of representatives from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the First Nation's Financial Management Board, the Smithsonian Institution, the Art Gallery of Ontario, Mitacs, local Rotary clubs, as well as hosts of individuals from across Ontario and around the world who are interested in Sustainable Archaeology and the philosophy we espouse. We've also begun to establish communication with a variety of other archaeological facilities and institutions, such as the Center for Digital Archaeology at the University of California, Berkley.

Over the course of the next year, we look forward to growing and settling into our space. We have more equipment to purchase (including a 3D prototyper and Virtual Imaging station), more courses and workshops to host, and we're looking forward to having some substantive information to share about our project at a number of local and international conferences. Watch for representatives from SA Western and SA McMaster at the Ontario Archaeological Society meeting in Windsor and the Canadian Association for Physical Anthropology conference in Victoria, BC in November 2012, as well as the Society for American Archaeology conference in Honolulu, Hawaii in April 2013! 

Gallery Scanning

The SAAU has set up the Vivid 9i in the Museum of Ontario Archaeology's main gallery, scanning a range of artifacts, including pottery and stone tools, that will be used in the CG animation of the Lawson site.  Trays of smaller artifacts have also been making their way from the gallery to the SAAU workspace in the mezzanine to be scanned by SA's 3D3 scanners, including the 3D3 macro structured light digitizer.

                                         

Collections

 

We've been starting to move some collections into the facility. Here Kira carefully places our standard size green Enviropack boxes that hold collections from the Museum of Ontario Archaeology (next door) onto the shelves with the assistance of the Work Assist Vehicle (WAVE). You can see why we limit the weight of boxes to 45 lbs or less! Not only does the bottom start to sag when packed materials get too heavy, it can be difficult to maneuver a heavy box from the WAVE onto the shelf at such a height. Shelves in the Western facility reach 16 feet or just under 5 meters in height. At capacity, this facility will house over 54,000 of these boxes.