Upgrade of the Facilities in the Archaeozoology Laboratory at the University of Michigan

密歇根大学的人类学博物馆保存着一批动物标本。这340具骨骼是在受控条件下收集的，代表了来自北美和中东的各种物种。它们被希望研究和鉴定出土文物的考古学家广泛使用。这些材料所在的考古动物学实验室被教师，研究生和访问科学家广泛使用。 该实验室及其比较标本已被用作鉴定和分析许多地点的动物群的资源。然而，实验室目前的安排和有限拥挤的储存设施抑制了有效的工作和比较收集的增长。拥挤和临时存放造成比较收藏品和其他考古标本的损坏和磨损。博物馆已制定了一项翻新计划，将大大有助于设施的升级和建立足够的工作空间。这个NSF奖将允许购买高等级的存储情况下，以容纳比较收集。这将使研究人员能够方便地访问，有助于尽量减少对材料本身的损害，并提供空间，使收藏品能够增长。 骨头在许多环境中保存良好，并且经常在考古发掘过程中大量回收。对这些遗骸的鉴定和分析可以促进一些科学目标。这种研究有助于了解史前人类的生存和社会实践。它还允许重建过去的环境，并使科学家能够研究人类与环境的相互作用。该奖项将使这种研究更有效地进行。

The Museum of Anthropology at the University of Michigan maintains a comparative collection of faunal material. The 340 skeletons were collected under controlled conditions and represent a wide range of species from North America and the Middle East. They are widely used by archaeologists who wish to study and identify excavated remains. The archaeozoology laboratory in which these materials are housed is extensively used by faculty, graduate students and visiting scientists. The laboratory and its comparative collection have been used as a resource for the identification and analysis of faunas from a large number of sites. However the laboratory's present arrangement and limited crowded storage facilities have inhibited efficient work and the growth of the comparative collection. The crowded and make-shift storage has resulted in damage to and increased wear and tear on the comparative collection and other archaeological specimens. The Museum has developed a renovation plan and will contribute significantly to upgrade the facility and establish adequate working spaces. This NSF award will permit the purchase of high grade storage cases to house the comparative collection. This will permit easy researcher access, help to minimize damage to the materials themselves and provide space to permit the collection to grow. Bone preserves well in many environmental contexts and is often recovered in large amounts in the course of archaeological excavation. Identification and analysis of such remains can further a number of scientific goals. Such research sheds light on the subsistence and social practices of prehistoric peoples. It also permits reconstruction of past environments and allows scientists to study human-environmental interactions. This award will permit such research to proceed more effectively.