Archeology Laboratory

Treatments of once buried objects focus on stabilization and cleaning to reveal markings, enhance appearance, and facilitate identification.

Most of the artifacts treated in this lab are metal. Along with Civil War buttons and buckles, more unusual items treated have included Spanish coins from a 16th-century shipwreck off Padre Island, and 2,000-year-old copper artifacts from the Hopewell culture at Mound City. Organic materials are treated.

Before and After: Treatment of a Canteen

Canteen Before Treatment

Canteen After Treatment

Canteen Fragments After Treatment