Sustainable Archaeology

In 2009 Dr. Neal Ferris of the University of Western Ontario was awarded a $9.8 million grant from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation (CFI) and the Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation.[7][8] The grant was awarded for the collaborative initiative between University of Western Ontario under Dr. Ferris as the Principal Investigator, and McMaster University, under Principal Investigator Dr. Aubrey Cannon to establish a research and digital data cooperative and physical repository for collections. Construction of the Western facility in London, Ontario began in the fall of 2010. The London facility is located off-campus, adjacent to the Museum of Ontario Archaeology. The McMaster facility was constructed off-campus in a renovated space at McMaster Innovation Park in Hamilton, Ontario.

Construction at the Western facility was completed in the fall of 2011. Renovations at the McMaster facility at McMaster Innovation Park were completed in 2012.

The Ancient Images Laboratory is equipped with a Nikon Metrology microtomography (microCT) scanner, a Faxitron digital x-ray, a 3D Systems Projet 660 Pro3D printer, and artifact photography stations.[10] The microCT and digital x-ray are used to conduct non-invasive studies of a range of archaeological and bioarchaeological materials, to facilitate the study of internal structures and features. Sustainable Archaeology's 3D scanning equipment consists of five 3D scanners: a Konica Minolta Vivid 9i, and four structured-light 3D scanners from 3D3 Solutions. Imaging data and 3D scans produced at Sustainable Archaeology are integrated into the database and research platform, and are used to re-construct virtual archaeological environments.[11]

Sustainable Archaeology's geophysical equipment includes a GSSI 400Mhz ground penetrating radar (GPR), a Geoscan RM15-D resistance meter, and a Bartington Grad601 Fluxgate magnetic gradiometer.

The Western facility's repository has a capacity for over 54,000 boxes of archaeological material. It is equipped with high density mobile shelving units that maximize storage capacity. Preventive conservation methods are utilized, including temperature and humidity monitoring, to maintain a stable environment and to ensure long-term viability of collections. Collections are housed in archival quality, acid-free, non-off-gassing polyethylene bags and vials, within corrugated polypropylene "bankers" style boxes.[12][13] A radio frequency identification system (RFID) is utilized to track the location of boxes both within and between the Western and McMaster facilities in real time. 2-dimensional data matrix (DM) barcodes are utilized for a variety of tracking purposes, including cataloging artifacts, as well as identifying artifact storage boxes, and shelf locations within the repositories.[14]

Sustainable Archaeology's repositories at both Western and McMaster model practices for the management of archaeological collections established by international archaeological repositories, particularly in the United States.[15] Practices for artifact care and handling, including cleaning and packaging for long term storage practiced by Sustainable Archaeology reflect conservation and management strategies for developed by international repositories and artifact conservation bodies.[16][17]

The Processing Laboratory incorporates equipment for the processing of archaeological materials for cataloguing, accessioning and analytical purposes. Analytical methods employed include sectioning and polishing of hard biological tissues, including animal bones, teeth and shell, and of non-organic materials, such as ceramics and lithics, as well as micro-drilling and milling to facilitate light stable isotope and trace elemental analysis.[19] Equipment in the processing laboratory includes a manual grinder polisher (Buehler Metaserv 250), vacuum mounting (Buehler Cast N' Vac 1000), Buehler IsoMet 1000 Precision Saw and a Minimo high precision rotary tool for cutting samples such as bone, ceramic, antler, or shell.

The Microscopy and Analytical Lab is equipped with microscopes that produce high-resolution digital images, facilitating the analysis of micro-artifacts. Equipment includes a Zeiss V8 8:1 zoom range stereomicroscope, a Zeiss V8 apochromatically corrected stereomicroscope, a Minimo high precision rotary tool mounted onto a microscope for high resolution microdrilling and micromilling, a Zeiss V8 stereomicroscope with polarized LED ringlights, and Zeiss Axiozoom V16 high resolution manual microscope with motorized zoom.[20]

The McMaster repository has a capacity for 35,000 boxes of archaeological material. The McMaster facility is equipped with high density mobile shelving, temperature and humidity monitoring, archival-grade collections storage materials, and RFID tracking capabilities.