Systematic Vertebrate Collections in Archaeological Research: Stabilization and Reorganization of The University of Tennessee Comparative Vertebrate Collection

在国家科学基金会的支持下，沃尔特·克利佩尔博士和他的同事们将致力于改善田纳西大学动物考古收藏的管理。这些材料是在二十年的时间里获得的，而且收藏品还在继续增长。8000多具骨骼包括鱼、爬行动物、两栖动物、鸟类和哺乳动物。所代表的1148种物种主要侧重于北美东部原产的物种，重点是在区域考古遗址中发现最频繁的物种。在收集发展的最初几年获得的10个代表性物种已被列入联邦濒危物种或受威胁物种名单。虽然这些藏品被考古学家广泛使用，但策展问题既威胁到材料本身，又阻碍了有效的使用。在NSF的支持下，克利佩尔博士和他的同事们将实施一项熏蒸计划，以控制虫害。材料将重新装箱并储存在新的橱柜中。目录信息将被输入计算机系统。动物遗骸经常在考古遗址中被发现，由于一些原因，它们对科学家来说极其重要。它们允许重建过去的环境，并提供对饮食的洞察。它们通常允许考古学家重建社会行为的其他方面，如交换和人口流动。区系分析的关键是收集已知物种，作为比较的标准。田纳西州的大量和仔细记录的藏品被广泛用于这一目的，构成了一种宝贵的考古资源。有了NSF的支持，它的效用将显著增加。

Klippel With National Science Foundation support, Dr. Walter Klippel and his colleagues will work to improve the curation of the zooarchaeological collection at the University of Tennessee. These materials were acquired over a two decade span and the collection continues to grow. The 8,000+ skeletons include fish, reptiles, amphibians, birds and mammals. The 1,148 species represented are weighted heavily towards taxa native to eastern North America with an emphasis on species most frequently recovered in regional archaeological sites. Ten represented species, obtained in the early years of collection development, have been placed on the Federal Endangered or Threatened Species lists. While the collection is widely used by archaeologists curatorial problems both threaten the materials themselves and impede efficient use. With NSF support, Dr. Klippel and colleagues will implement a fumigation program to control pest infestation. Materials will be re- boxed and stored in new cabinets. Catalogue information will be entered into a computer system. Faunal remains are frequently recovered in archaeological sites and are extremely important to scientists for a number of reasons. They permit the reconstruction of past environments and provide insight into diet. They often allow archaeologists to reconstruct other aspects of social behavior such as exchange and population movement. Key to faunal analysis are collections of known species which serve as standards of comparison. The large and carefully documented Tennessee collection is widely used for this purpose and constitutes a valuable archaeological resource. With NSF support, its utility will increase significantly.