Out of the Privy and into the Lab: Field Conservation on Waterlogged Sites

Abstract

Field conservation efforts on archaeological sites in the United States have still not been mandated by many local, state, and federal agencies. For terrestrial sites, this may not always be necessary, but for underwater sites conservators are included much more frequently. But what about archaeological sites in between, such as waterlogged wells and privies? And what happens when the archaeologists suddenly run into a feature yielding large quantities of waterlogged materials in a good state of preservation? On a recent excavation in Alexandria, Virginia, artifacts were recovered from a Civil War period privy which yielded organics, inorganics, and synthetic materials. Due to funding, time constraints, and lack of knowledge, a conservator was not included in the original scope of work for the project. This type of situation occurs far too frequently. However, by working with a conservator early on in the initial stages of an excavation, priorities and guidelines can be established for dealing with waterlogged finds.