A Day in the Life of an Artifact, Part 2

[Note to teachers: For those wishing to use this two-part article as the basis for a class lesson, a list of Educational Objectives may be found at the end.]

Part 2: Joining the Museum

Remember those Phoenician amphoras that were getting carefully washed and dried at the conservator's lab in Part 1? By the time you read this, they may be ready to start their careers as museum objects. There are many different "jobs" they may perform--and all are important.

Who really owns the amphoras?

This is a tricky question many times in archaeology. Up until thirty to fifty years ago, archeologists and anyone else who dug up artifacts, say out of Egypt or other countries, kept a lot of what they found--or split the finds with the government of the nation where they were excavating. But since the 1970s, there was an international law passed, stating that all artifacts belong to the culture or nation in which they are discovered.

Archeologists must, therefore, receive special permission to dig in most areas and bring artifacts home. Most of the time, archeologists bring home only their photos and meticulous records of the objects they find. It is now illegal to take artifacts away from a country without special permission to borrow them.

But what about the amphoras? Legal experts will probably start figuring this situation out. Currently, because the deep waters of the Atlantic are considered international, the finders of the Phoenician amphoras get to keep them. It's like "finders-keepers." That's for now. You can bet as more things under the sea are discovered, there will be more laws passed about who can keep what.

The arrival of the amphoras

When the amphoras are ready to be sent to the museum, the conservator will carefully repack each one. When they arrive at the museum or the archeology department that will study them, the amphoras will again be carefully unpacked and checked to see if they need any more special "treatment."

A special number: the museum accession number

How do museum professionals keep track of where they put everything in the museum? They give every single object that is going to be a part of the permanent collection its own museum number. "With this number, I have power," says James Armstrong, associate curator at the Semitic Museum. "Most important, I can find where the objects are stored in the museum, look up information about when and how an artifact came to the museum and its background." It's like giving a card catalog number to a book.

Let's take one of the amphoras and give it a typical museum number which could look like this: 1999. 2. 16. Now what does this mean? The "1999" tells the year the amphora came into the museum collection. The "2" is a group number given to all objects that came into the museum under the same circumstances. So far, all the amphoras that come into the museum will have these first two numbers. But the final number, "16," in this case, is the object's individual number.

Not all museums arrange the numbers in the exact same way; what's important is that the number helps the museum keep track of the object. Some museums, for example, put numbers on objects that they receive as loans from other museums. But the Semitic Museum only puts numbers on the objects that will be theirs permanently. And that's fine, as long as it work for the institution.

Some people really enjoy labeling the objects with the numbers because it's a fun process. The whole point of putting a number on the object is to make sure you don't hurt the object with the ink--and that the number can be removed if you want. Sometimes when you exhibit objects, you don't want a big number starting out at you, so the process must be reversible.

Let's take our amphora, museum number 1999. 2. 16. First, we prepare a tiny part of the surface where we will write the number with a thin, diluted adhesive (sticky, glue-like) substance which contains acetone--the chemical in nail polish remover, believe it or not. When that dries, then we carefully write the number on that spot with a tiny pen or brush, using a type of black ink called India ink. Then we go over it with the glue again, making a little sandwich of sorts. When it's dry, it's all ready. If we ever have to remove the number, we just use some acetone which easily takes it off without harming the amphora.

Now, how does this little number help us keep track of the amphora and thousands of other objects in the museum? The number is printed on a catalogue card or put into a database into the computer. On the card or data site is the following information: where the object is being stored in the museum (which floor of the museum, the location on the floor, which shelf and which container); a brief description of the object (what it is, its dimensions, where it comes from, facts about the excavation it was found from, its possible age); a photograph or drawing of the of the object; and any extra comments someone makes about the artifact. We don't always know everything about an object, but the more information we have, the more we learn.

Going separate ways

Most artifacts do not end up on display or in an exhibit, as most people believe. The majority of artifacts in a museum are used for teaching about archeology and for research about ancient cultures. In the Semitic Museum, many of these amphoras are likely to end up safe and sound in a special area in the Museum's basement where the humidity and temperature are strictly controlled to preserve them. And the doors are locked to the Museum basement. People need special permission to see the stored artifacts. Harvard students and faculty will look at them, as well as researchers interested in finding out more about the pottery or ceramics of the ancient Near East.

Since these amphoras are now news personalities, and are very interesting remains of a little know but fascinating ancient culture, many museums will be contacting the Semitic Museum, hoping to be able to borrow one of the objects.

Museums have always loaned their objects to other museums, and borrowed from others. It's another way of acquiring objects that the museum hasn't excavated on its own. And since it's much harder these days to bring objects home from other countries, loaning and borrowing is very important. But unlike borrowing a few dollars from your friends, these objects are borrowed for years at a time. One reason is all the expense and effort it takes to pack the objects up to send off. Another reason is that if often takes years before museum people feel that they have gotten all the information they can from an artifact. Since the Computer Age, it's been a lot easier for museums to let each other know what they would like to borrow and what objects are available for loans.

What about the other amphoras that are left? Some will get to show off to the public by being exhibited. If you're interested in archeology, you've probably already seen archeology objects on exhibition. An exhibition takes a lot of work, and a safe, attractive place must be made for each object. Some of the amphoras may end up in a permanent exhibit (permanent exhibits can last anywhere from a few years to forever; it depends on the space available in the museum.) Other amphoras might be sent to museums around the country--or even world--in what is known as a traveling exhibit. A traveling exhibit usually lasts several months in one museum-and then it moves on to another location.

As we have seen, these amphoras-and other ancient objects-may end up doing very different things in a museum. Each type of "job they do"-research, loans, exhibition--will add to our knowledge. And if they are handled carefully, they will be an honorable reminder of the ancient Phoenician people who made them. You can be sure that these amphoras, hidden for over three thousand years under the sea, will now be appreciated and seen by thousands of people for years to come.

Educational Objectives

After reading this article, students should be able to:

1. Define the following Terms:

2. Answer the following questions about important concepts:

1. Why are there certain rules for artifact ownership? Why is site looting a problem?
2. Why is it important that archeologists keep very careful records, notes and photographs/visuals of their finds (often the only things they're allowed to bring back)?
3. Why it is important that most museum objects be kept for research?
4. How might objects might be chosen for exhibition, and which ones?
5. How and why do museums cooperate in the form of loaning and borrowing artifacts?
6. What are the advantages of a computer database in loaning and borrowing artifacts between museums?

Suggested Activity:

Try the glue recipe for writing numbers on objects. For the recipe and visuals relating to this article, contact James Armstrong of the Semitic Museum at jarmstr@fas.harvard.edu.

Ilene Springer is an independent archeology writer and a graduate student in museum studies at Harvard University. You can reach her at sennuwy@aol.com. All images are courtesy National Geographic Magazine.