Tuesday, June 24, 2014 

7:00pm
  The Conservation of the Kennewick Man  
(History & Heritage)

Kennewick Man is the name for the skeletal remains of a prehistoric man found on a bank of the Columbia River in Kennewick, Washington, on July 28, 1996. It is one of the most complete ancient skeletons ever found; bone tests have shown it to date from 7300 to 7600 B.C. A stone projectile was found lodged in the man's hip bone. The Department of Interior (DOI) was required to investigate and resolve two basic issues: first, whether or not these human remains meet the definition for "Native American" within the meaning of the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act; and, second, if the human remains were found to be Native American, DOI would determine their disposition.

The overall goal of this examination and micro-sample collection was to aid the eventual sample selection, extraction, amplification, analysis, and interpretation of ancient DNA from the Kennewick remains. The ancient DNA studies aimed to determine the mitochondrial DNA of this individual as one factor for assisting in the determination of cultural affiliation. A team of experts carried out the examination, analysis, and micro-sampling of the Kennewick remains. Experts in curation and conservation, physical anthropology, bone chemistry and dating, and DNA analysis took part in the work. Members of the team included Dr. Nancy Odegaard, of the University of Arizona and Arizona State Museum, an expert in conservation.

Because many of the cranial and postcranial elements were fragmentary, it was necessary to refit some broken pieces in order to collect needed data. Given the conservators' concerns regarding the use of permanent adhesives and consolidants, it was decided to refit postcranial elements and maintain the stability of fragments by hand. However, this procedure could not be followed for the measurements of the cranium, since the anatomically correct three-dimensional positioning of fragments is crucial for dimensional accuracy. To solve this problem, Dr. Odegaard and the other experts elected to avoid materials that might be permanent, and instead devised an ingenious method for firmly joining craniofacial bone fragments, needed for accurate measurements, while being temporary and non-damaging to individual bone fragments.

Dr. Odegaard will be visiting the Verde Valley Archaeology Center to conduct a conservation assessment of the Center on a grant from the National Institute for Conservation. While in Camp Verde for this assessment, she has agreed to give a presentation on the conservation aspects of the Kennewick Man project. This talk will be held on Tuesday, June 24 at 7:00 pm in the Sedona Ballroom of the Cliff Castle Casino Hotel, 555 W Middle Verde Rd. Admission is free but a $5 donation per person is suggested to help offset the cost of the room rental.

Contact: Ken Zoll, Executive Director
Verde Valley Archaeology Center
385 S. Main St.
Camp Verde, AZ 86322
Office: 928-567-0066
Cell: 928-593-0364
director@verdevalleyarchaeology.org

More information...


Location: Sedona Ballroom of the Cliff Castle Casino Hotel, 555 W Middle Verde Rd., Camp Verde
   
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