Page 301 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

280 Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook, Second Edition
Figure 10.5 An operator making a sketch plan of a grid frame, Ko Si Chang wreck site in Thailand. (Courtesy of Brian Richards, Department of Maritime Archaeology, Western Australian Maritime Museum.)
large number of, for example, broken shards. While it is not practical or essential to register each individual item, it may well be that their location is important, either because the shard is significant in its position due to some function it had on board the vessel, or that its location will be useful in identifying other shards belonging to the same object and thus helping in the reconstruction process. Thus bulk registration can be very useful. In some cases, the objects are given a lot number or bulk registration number with their location recorded. As the material is processed, the ability to associate material from either nearby grids or from subsequent deeper layers will be possible, thus helping with the sorting process.
There are special problems involved in the registration of very fragile objects. Usually, it is preferable to excavate such objects immediately, thus reducing the danger of accidental damage. Therefore it may be possible to place a temporary tag attached to a weight alongside it, and when the object is recovered the tag can be placed with it. Care should be exercised to