MCI Project Summaries 2008 - Smithsonian Institution

MCI 6269 Human Skeletal Remains from the Richards Family Vault,
Congressional Cemetery, Washington, DC
MCI Staff: Nicole C. Little
The crystalline structures on bones interred in iron and wooden coffins in the vault were
analyzed with XRD and micro-XRF and identified.
MCI 6273 Native North American Engraved Whelk (Busycon) Shell Ornaments
MCI Staff: Mel J. Wachowiak
The effectiveness of reflectance transformation imaging (RTI) and other imaging
techniques in identifying traces of manufacture and use-wear on engraved shell surfaces not
visible using conventional photography or examination under visible light was assessed. The
analyses will be used to examine additional collections from the study region curated at the
Smithsonian museums. The results will contribute broadly to developing non-destructive
analytical techniques for the examination of shell ornaments recovered from archaeological
contexts. A strategy to produce visual evidence of fabrication, wear, and weathering of shell
ornaments, using non-destructive methods and traceable standards for comparison of large
groups was developed. Selected methods, which may include, macro photographic
documentation, 3-D microscopy, and reflectance transformation imaging/polynomial texture
mapping, were documented.
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