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Archaeological Artifact and Biomolecule Affiliation: Testing The Consequences of Cleaning

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  26 February 2011

Noreen Tuross
Noreen Tuross*
Affiliation:
Conservation Analytical Laboratory, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C
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Abstract

Molecular preservation in the archaeological record has been recognized and documented inseveral cases. The association of protein, lipid and DNA remnants on artifacts requires anew level of care in the excavation and conservation of materials. The removal of blood from a series of experimental tools made of quartzite and obsidian is shown by a simple water washing procedure. Attempts at stabilizing the blood with time and temperature did little to alter its removal. It is suggested that the normal procedures utilized onsite andin postexcavation treatment can be detrimental to the recovery of information at the molecular level.

Type
Research Article
Information
MRS Online Proceedings Library (OPL) , Volume 352: Symposium – Materials Issues in Art and Archaeology IV , 1995 , 41
Copyright
Copyright © Materials Research Society 1995

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