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动物资料的比较收藏。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。它们被考古学家广泛使用，他们希望研究和识别出土的遗骸。存放这些材料的考古实验室被教职员工、研究生和来访的科学家广泛使用。该实验室及其比较收集已被用作确定和分析大量地点的动物群的资源。然而，实验室目前的安排和有限的拥挤储存设施阻碍了有效的工作和比较收藏的增长。拥挤和临时存放导致比较收藏和其他考古标本的损坏和磨损增加。博物馆已经制定了一项翻修计划，并将为升级设施和建立足够的工作空间做出重大贡献。这项NSF奖励将允许购买高级储藏箱来存放可比较的收藏品。这将允许研究人员轻松访问，有助于将对材料本身的损害降至最低，并提供空间以允许收藏品的增长。骨骼在许多环境中保存完好，在考古发掘过程中经常被大量发现。对这类遗骸的鉴定和分析可以促进一些科学目标。这样的研究揭示了史前民族的生存和社会实践。它还允许重建过去的环境，并允许科学家研究人类与环境的相互作用。这一奖项将允许此类研究更有效地进行。

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.