20th August 2014, 01:29 PM
By the time the average archive has been moved off site, back to office, shipped about to various specialists, stored in various locations, re-packed umpteen times and finally dumped on a museum, in practical terms it's usually better to remove the heavy soil, you'll be archiving larger bone fragments that way. Just remember to sieve the soil that comes out for ear bones, bits of bead necklaces and the like.
If you're going to keep the skull full of soil, store it in a separate box from the rest of the skelly, it'll act like a battering ram every time the box is moved unless packed absolutely immobile. And make sure the soil is dry right through, leave it exposed in a warm room for at least a month if you don't want stuff growing in the box...
If you're going to keep the skull full of soil, store it in a separate box from the rest of the skelly, it'll act like a battering ram every time the box is moved unless packed absolutely immobile. And make sure the soil is dry right through, leave it exposed in a warm room for at least a month if you don't want stuff growing in the box...