9.5: Curation - Collection management


Gaza antiquities collection (Al-Monitor, 2014)
The properly maintained collection requires a responsible attitude to acquisition. While this is easier to attain in a portable antiquities collection that is accumulated by deliberate purchase according to some underlying aims or programme, the question of how to achieve that in the case of artefact hunting is far more difficult to decide, and is an issue that seems not to be being discussed.

In exploiting a site or topsoil assemblage, it is clear that a responsible approach would be to record everything that can be determined about the archaeological evidence (not just the collectable finds) observable in the course of the search activity. Material such as slag, nails, tile, burnt daub etc. would need to be systematically collected, analysed using the appropriate means and the results of the analysis recorded and then entered into the documentation of the search project.

In metal detector surveys carried out for archaeological bodies (Nash 2019, 19:32), many of them have decided not to retain all of the material recovered, and usually elect to retain a 10% sample - this is because of the pressure on archaeological stores in Britain. Therefore a retention policy needs to be developed that guides how material is to be selected for permanent storage. Given the potential academic value of some of the material (for example items not recognised for what they are at the time of sorting) there is a strong case for creating a detailed photographic archive of items not retained  (excluding the obviously very recent material).

The responsible collector therefore needs to establish, in accordance with specialist advice and in accordance with regional research priorities, a detailed acquisition and disposal policy. This should be in writing and a copy deposited within the collection itself. Discard of material recovered by artefact hunting should be justified within the framework of this code. If in doubt, an item should not be discarded, but instead inventorised as part of the collection (it can always be weeded out later and the records annotated to record that fact). Though normally, once a decision has been taken to acquire items for a collection, there should be a presumption against disposal.

Collectors must ensure that they secure documentation of legal title to each item they acquire in the form of an individual release form signed by the landowner (not tenant).

 All finds must be permanently marked or labelled as appropriate with an unique accession or inventory number. Such marking must not damage the object. Each accession must be recorded in the accession register which would also bring together all the primary information about each item or group in the collection. Every new acquisition must be accessioned as soon as possible and at least within three days. Back-up copies of key records must be made and updated regularly and kept in a separate location.

In part adapted from 'Standards in the Museum Care of Archaeological Collections', 1992



Tamara Kroftova comments:
"A home museum is a huge responsibility"

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