Human Remains and the Conservator's Role

Cassman, Vicki; Odegaard, Nancy

doi:10.2307/25487703

Cited by 7 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…The sizes of the bags needed constitute another consideration (see Table 1 for general quantities). It is important to choose an appropriate bag size for the element (Cassman and Odegaard 2007:113). Overall, the effort and costs associated with quality bags is balanced by the benefit of security for a collection.…”

Section: Recommendations For the Field And Laboratorymentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The decade of work, collegiality, and friendship between the author and CRIA staff has ensured that the collection is well protected, and similar methods are being applied to other at-risk materials within the CRIA and region. Finally, one must also consider how new technology such as photogrammetry (see Novotny 2019 and Wrobel et al 2019, in this issue), photo documentation of box contents (Cassman and Odegaard 2007), and digital inventories (e.g., McManamon and Kintigh 2010) can protect previous data and reduce the need to handle delicate materials in extant collections.…”

Section: Recommendations For the Field And Laboratorymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Curating Large Skeletal Collections: An Example from the Ancient Maya Site of Copán, Honduras

Wolf¹

2019

Adv. archaeol. pract.

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Archaeologists strive to understand ancient lifeways, and bioarchaeological data provide honest and immutable evidence of the realities of ancient society in the bodies of the dead. Given the importance of human remains in the archaeological record, a major component of the author's work has been devoted to the ethical responsibilities of bioarchaeologists in the treatment of the collections studied. However, the curation of skeletal remains is often challenging because the conservation and storage of these delicate materials may be afterthoughts in archaeological plans, being inadequately or incorrectly stored and sometimes treated to the same conservation conditions as more robust artifacts and samples. This article offers guidelines and recommendations for skeletal curation based on observations of curation challenges in a large collection in the subtropical Maya region. The collection was not well managed and human remains were not prioritized in the conservation program. The challenges and mitigations are presented here.

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Section: Recommendations For the Field And Laboratorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Recommendations For the Field And Laboratorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Curating Large Skeletal Collections: An Example from the Ancient Maya Site of Copán, Honduras

Wolf¹

2019

Adv. archaeol. pract.

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“…By giving some forethought to the handling of human skeletal remains, researchers can avoid most of the problems documented here. These suggestions are based on bone-care guidelines provided by conservators from museums and university laboratories (Antoine and Taylor 2014; Cassman and Odegaard 2004; Johnson 1994; McGowan and LaRoche 1996; Wills et al 2014)…”

Section: Recommendationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Excavation and Conservation Recommendations in Handling Human Skeletal Remains: Case Studies from Desert Oases, Cave Shelters, and Permafrost in China and Mongolia

Lee

2019

Adv. archaeol. pract.

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The systematic excavation, long term storage, inventory, and analysis of complete human skeletal remains is a new concept in East Asia. This study examined four problematic cases where there was a demonstrated need for the implementation of conservation techniques. The first case included several naturally mummified skulls from Xinjiang, Province, China. Salt crystals were found to be solidifying on the outer table. The second case involved four naturally mummified cave burials from southwestern Mongolia. Once removed from the dry environment, they began to decompose again. The two last cases were permafrost burials in northern Mongolia. The skeletons were wrapped and stored in a manner which encouraged mold growth. This study will give recommendations for thorough archaeological recovery, cleaning, packaging for transport, reconstruction, and long-term storage of human skeletal remains.

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“…The conservation literature often falls in between these two areas, emphasizing the ways in which our profession engages both the tangible and intangible aspects of human remains. The main publications to date evidence our unusual, often difficult and ever-evolving role in the preservation of human remains (McGowan and La Roche 1996;Johnson 2001;Pye 2001;Williams 2001;Buenger 2004;Cassman and Odegaard 2004;Cassman et al 2007). Often at stake is the ability of disparate groups such as religious community members, curators, archaeologists, and conservators to control, present, and interpret human remains for the general public.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Among the Dead and Their Possessions: A Conservator's Role in the Death, Life, and Afterlife of Human Remains and Their Associated Objects

Balachandran¹

2009

Journal of the American Institute for Conservation

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This paper argues that conservators working on human remains preserve not only the physical remnants of a once-living body, but also the traces of the narratives of a human life and its afterlife. The author examines the conservator's ethical and moral obligations to the dead and their associated artifacts, and considers the conservator's role in both dehumanizing remains into mere "objects," and in rehumanizing such "objects." These issues are explored in relation to the conservation of the remains of three specific individuals and their possessions: an ancient Egyptian female mummy now in a museum in the United States, an ancient Egyptian child excavated on an archaeological site, and a beatified Catholic nun's relics and bone fragment. The author recounts her personal interactions with these three individuals to argue that the traditionally detached, technical role of the conservator may be inappropriate or inadequate when preserving both the tangible and intangible aspects of human remains. The paper suggests that even minimal and mundane conservation practices can take on invasive qualities or new ritual significance when performed on human remains, and that respectful conservation treatments elicit an empathy for, and emotional response to, the remains themselves.TITRE-Parmi les morts et leurs possessions: les vestiges humains et objets funéraires associés et l'impact de la restauration sur des concepts immatériels tels que la mort, la vie, et la vie après la mort. RÉSUMÉ-Cet article soutient la thèse que le restaurateur travaillant sur des vestiges humains permet non seulement la préservation physique de corps autrefois vivants, mais aussi des indicesà propos de la vie de ces personnes et de ce qui s'en est suivi après la mort. L'auteure examine les obligations morales et déontologiques du restaurateur face aux morts età leurs objets funéraires, ainsi que l'apport du restaurateur soit dans la déshumanisation des vestiges humains, réifiés en simples 'objets', soit dans la ré-humanisation de tels 'objets'. L'auteure explore ces questions dans le cadre de la conservation de trois cas spécifiques de vestiges humains et de leurs biens funéraires: une femme momifiée de l'Égypte ancienne se trouvant maintenant dans un musée aux Etats-Unis; un enfant de l'Égypte ancienne provenant d'une fouille archéologique; et les reliques et ossements d'une religieuse catholique béatifiée. L'auteure relate son expérience personnelle dans ces trois cas pour en venirà la conclusion que l'approche traditionnelle, détachée et technique, du restaurateur n'est peut-être pas appropriée ou adéquate lorsqu'on veut préserver les aspects immatériels, ainsi que matériels, des vestiges humains. Cet article fait la démonstration que, lorsqu'il s'agit de vestiges humains, même des pratiques de conservation considérées comme minimalistes ou routinières peuvent avoir des conséquences envahissantes ou prendre un aspect presque rituel. Une approche respectueuse lors de la mise en oeuvre de traitements sur des vestiges humains implique donc une se...

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Human Remains and the Conservator's Role

Cited by 7 publications

References 0 publications

Curating Large Skeletal Collections: An Example from the Ancient Maya Site of Copán, Honduras

Curating Large Skeletal Collections: An Example from the Ancient Maya Site of Copán, Honduras

Excavation and Conservation Recommendations in Handling Human Skeletal Remains: Case Studies from Desert Oases, Cave Shelters, and Permafrost in China and Mongolia

Among the Dead and Their Possessions: A Conservator's Role in the Death, Life, and Afterlife of Human Remains and Their Associated Objects

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