29th August 2017, 06:15 PM
Xenia-Paula K The cost of "basic" osteological analysis depends on the project's requirements. In the commercial sector a project has many phases so you will need to be aware that these phases are determined by the planning framework at large. So if you have an assemblage that is small but its unique it could have the same cost as a much larger one. The more phases into a project the less "basic the work of the specialist becomes, and it may also include publication. A specialist will charge for publication, because a good quality publication takes a lot of time, research and writing it up is not a day's job. Some projects take years to complete and therefore you will need to discuss with the specialist all these possibilities (and you should have a contingency budget). If the material you have are not linked to a commercial project then the cost actually be much lower (but it depends on your requirements and the specialist involved). Always search around before committing to one specialist, we all have different time frames, strengths/weaknesses, so talk a few. But one thing is for sure, there is no such thing as "basic" osteological analysis.