The Analytical Collection (AC) is a repository for materials with significant research and analysis value that were collected, studied, or created by Museum curators and affiliated researchers. They form the basis of on-going, pioneering, and important research employing physical and chemical analyses reflective of the breadth of research performed at UMMAA. Materials accessioned into the AC are part of the permanent collections, and are intended to be used for (re)analysis, including destructive analyses.
Raw samples in the AC are generally from known sources that can be used to match collection objects with localities (e.g., temper in ceramics via Neutron Activation Analysis) and determine the geographic sources of materials and artifacts represented in the Museum’s collections. Other materials, including soil samples, phytolithic samples, and experimental products which retain analytical value after their original use are curated in the AC at the curators’ discretion.
Examples of material in the Analytical Collection include:
A. Geological samples (including hand specimens of obsidian, chert, hematite) relevant to petrographic and geochemical analysis and experimentation
B. Samples of sediments and rocks from archeological sites, both bulk samples and processed (sieved, size-sorted)
C. Materials generated as a result of experimental archaeology (e.g., flintknapped specimens and byproducts of their manufacture; experimentally produced ceramic vessels) that have on-going archeological or museological analytical and research value
