RAPID: Stabilization, Curation, Digitization and Data Management of the Wales, Alaska, Archaeology Project (1996-2006) Collections

阿拉斯加州威尔士遗址位于白令海峡海岸，位于大陆的十字路口，1200多年来提供了丰富的人类活动序列。威尔士是最近十年考古调查的所在地，调查产生了大约30,000件文物、动植物遗骸和沉积物样本。文物包括碎石和研磨石；雕刻的鹿角、骨头和象牙制品；木器；以及陶器，由于永久冻土层的保存，其中大部分都被发现时状况良好。这些材料记录了人类一千多年来对北极海洋环境的适应，包括土著捕鲸的发展-这是一个对了解北美北极过去至关重要的过程。该项目将稳定、管理和数字化1996年至2006年威尔士考古发掘产生的材料和文件。所有标本将被编目并重新安置在档案质量的无酸袋和盒子中，确保它们将被安全储存，并供科学家和后代Inupiaq社区使用。目前处于退化和不可挽回损失危险的有机文物将得到评估和保护。文物和原材料将用Inupiaq语言识别，术语将被纳入藏品数据库，以便用户可以获得西部科学和阿拉斯加土著名称。选定的文物将以3D方式拍摄和扫描，以提高收藏品的使用。整个威尔士数据库将通过一个可搜索的基于网络的具体项目界面向公众开放。在项目活动完成后，文物、动植物遗骸、沉积物样本和挖掘文件将可用于研究、教育和遗产活动。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The site of Wales, Alaska, on the coast of Bering Strait, exists at a crossroads of continents and provides a rich sequence of human activity for over 1200 years. Wales was the site of ten years of recent archaeological investigations, which produced approximately 30,000 artifacts, faunal and floral remains, and sediment samples. Artifacts include chipped and ground stone; carved antler, bone, and ivory objects; wooden implements; and pottery, much of which was recovered in excellent condition due to preservation by permafrost. These materials record over a millennium of human adaptation to an Arctic maritime environment, including the development of Indigenous whaling—a process of critical importance to understanding the North American Arctic past.This project will stabilize, curate, and digitize materials and documents produced by the Wales archaeological excavations between 1996 and 2006. All specimens will be cataloged and rehoused in archival-quality acid-free bags and boxes, ensuring they will be safely stored and accessible to scientists and descendant Inupiaq communities. Organic artifacts, currently in danger of degradation and irrevocable loss, will be evaluated and conserved. Artifacts and raw materials will be identified in the Inupiaq language and the terms will be incorporated into the collections database so that both Western scientific and Alaska Native designations are available to users. Selected artifacts will be photographed and scanned in 3D to enhance use of the collections. The entire Wales database will be made publicly available via a searchable web-based project-specific interface. Upon completion of project activities, artifacts, plant and animal remains, sediment samples and excavation documentation will be accessible for study, education, and heritage activities.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.