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Archaeological Excavation
Buried Streams
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Clam-digging stick
Ca. A.D. 1
Lachane site, excavated 1973
(GbTo-33-c588)
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At two sites, buried streams were found in which the soil was
permanently water-saturated. Such soil is free from bacterial action
that destroys wood and plant fibres, creating an environment in which
wooden and fibre artifacts can be preserved for thousands of years.
Buried streams once supplied fresh water to the inhabitants of the
sites. Water buckets, baskets, tools and ornaments were occasionally
dropped or discarded into the streams.
Excavation methods change radically on wet sites. The water is removed
by pumps, then hoses are used to wash away the soil from the artifacts.
Wooden artifacts of great antiquity have to be kept moist until they can
be treated in a conservation laboratory by freeze-drying or carbowax
impregnation.
Over 500 wooden and fibre artifacts, up to 2,000 years old, were
recovered from the Lachane Site near Prince Rupert and treated at
the laboratory of the Canadian Conservation Institute in Ottawa.
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