LAB CODING GUIDE
FIELDS FOR MUSEUM ARCHAEOLOGICAL COLLECTIONS DATABASES
(Microsoft Access or Corel Paradox preferred)
1. Site number
2. Inventory/catalog number
3. Existing catalog number (in cases where an earlier catalog number exists)
4. Unit N or S
5. N/S unit bearings
6. Unit E or W
7. E/W unit bearings
8. Beginning level/strata
9. Ending level/strata
10. Object group
11. Object type
12. Raw material
13. Count
14. Weight
15. Condition
16. Box number
17. Burial association
18. Comments
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1) Site number. This is the Smithsonian Institution site designation number.
2) Inventory/catalog number. This is our arbitrary number that begins with one and continues. Start with one for every site.
3) Existing catalog number. Record any existing catalog number or record number found on the object or in the site records.
4-7) Unit. This may be a point provenience, block, square, test pit, or feature.
8-9) Level/strata. Identify the level or strata.
10) Object group. Code the most appropriate object group among those listed on the following pages.
11) Object type. Code the most appropriate type of object among those listed under the object group selected in Field 10.
12) Raw material. Code the most appropriate raw material among those listed on the following pages.
13-14) Count or weight. This is the number of separate items identified by the inventory number. Object types are consistently either counted or weighed as appropriate to the materials.
15) Condition.
16) Box number. This is the number found on the box or drawer that the objects are ultimately stored in.
17) Burial material. There are four codes for this field: N=no burial association; H=human remains; G=burial goods; C=items of possible cultural patrimony.
18) Comments. Important information should go into this field that
is not covered in the other fields.
LIST OF OBJECT GROUPS
CS chipped stone
GS ground stone
BN bone
PR project records
SH shell
OO other organic
SP samples
HM historic materials
LB level bag
MW modified wood
LIST OF RAW MATERIAL TYPES
00 other (including charcoal, clinker, caliche, bag residue, beads that are not yet separated by material type)
01 bone
02 wood
03 shell
04 glass
05 metal
06 ceramic
07 leather
10 obsidian
20 basalt
30 other cryptocrystalline/cherts
31 quartz
32 quartzite
40 granite
50 other stone
55 miscellaneous stone (unsorted debitage and rocks)
60 paper
70 plastic
75 film
76 textile
LIST OF OBJECT TYPES
Chipped Stone Group (CS)
01 point
02 hafted drill
03 point tip or midsection
04 preform
05 other biface
06 endscraper
07 side scraper
08 flake drill/perforator
09 composite scraper
10 unidirectional core
11 cobble core with a cutting and or scraping edge
12 cobble core without a cutting and or scraping edge
13 other core
14 flake debitage with cortex (with bulb and part of platform)
15 flake debitage with no cortex (with bulb and part of platform)
16 cobble spall
17 flake shatter (designated as flakes without bulbs or platforms)
18 blocky shatter (shatter that cannot be identified as being part of a broken flake)
19 unimarginal retouch on cobble spall
20 bimarginal retouch on cobble spall
21 uni/bimarginal retouch on cobble spall
22 unimarginal retouch on flake
23 bimarginal retouch on flake
24 uni/bimarginal retouch on flake
25 unsorted debitage (may include other rocks)
26 other core with cutting scraping edge
Ground Stone Group (GS)
31 pestle
32 mortar
33 net sinker
34 hammerstone
35 abrader
36 FCR
37 ground stone other
Bone Group (BN)
40 other modified bone/antler
41 harpoon
42 awl/needle
43 bead
44 antler (unmodified)
45 fish remains
46 bird remains
47 mammal remains
48 other bone (including reptile and amphibian bones and bone not identifiable to class)
49 insect remains
Project Records Group (PR)
51 background records
52 survey records
53 excavation records
54 field catalogues
55 analysis records
56 report records
57 photos/negatives
58 photo catalogues
Shell Group (SH)
61 bead
62 ornament
63 remains
Other Organic Group (OO)
65 hide
66 hair
67 mat
68 basket
69 other (includes plant remains)
70 cordage
71 C-14 (includes charcoal)
72 pollen
73 soil (including volcanic ash)
74 flotation
75 fine screen (includes CVS samples)
76 other (includes bag residue, natural rock, caliche)
77 ochre
Historic Material Group (HM)
81 metal other
82 glass other
83 ceramic other
84 trade beads and other beads except shell or bone beads
85 historic other (includes clinker)
86 wood other
87 leather other
88 plastic other
89 complex composite
120 tin can
125 silverware
126 dishes
129 bottle
130 notions
131 safety pin
135 belt beaded
136 clothing
140 jewelry other
141 bracelet
142 necklace
143 earring
144 ring
145 mirror
150 bell
151 thimble
155 coin
160 tack
165 gun
166 cartridge
170 knife
175 nail
Level Bag Group (LB)
91 cataloged item bag with object
92 cataloged item bag without object
93 level or other unit bags with objects
94 level or other unit bags without their associated objects
95 unopened level bag
Modified Wood Group (MW)
100 modified wood other
101 digging stick
102 cradle board