Page 302 - Green - Maritime Archaeology: A Technical Handbook. 2nd ed

Chapter 10: Recording 281 ensure that the tag is always kept with the object, particularly when it is
being transferred from one container to another.
III. REGISTRATION
In the case where material is being raised without registration under water, objects tend to be loose in a bag or in collecting boxes, and the record information related to the objects written on a record sheet. It is not advis- able to try and remember this information as it is easily forgotten, and as a general rule information should always be written down or recorded in some way. In certain unusual situations it may not be possible to carry a writing slate and therefore some alternative method of recording will be required. The project director needs to decide where and when to collect the relevant information on the artifacts from the excavators. This is best done immediately after a diver surfaces when the information is still fresh in the person’s mind; there is usually a period, some time after the dive, when the recorder can sit down with the excavator to discuss and record the details of the dive. Additionally, if other staff members are going to con- tinue work on the site, it is worth including them in the discussion, if pos- sible. Alternatively, circumstances may favor waiting a few hours until the day’s operations are over, and then having a registration and debriefing session either individually or, better still, as a group.
Debriefing provides an opportunity for everyone to discuss and under- stand the nature of the work and the material. The project director is strongly advised to examine the merits of this form of communication, as it can greatly assist the progress of the excavation. It is very easy to become short-sighted while locked into excavation work, so that each day a large quantity of material is recovered, but its significance and relationship with other material may be poorly understood or improperly recorded. At the same time, excavators can become remote from its importance, simply because they are not involved in interpreting or do not understand the rel- evance of the material. It is therefore extremely important for everyone who is working in an excavation to be cognizant of the progress and direc- tion of the overall project, and to be familiar with the range of artifacts and their archaeological significance. It should be noted that on land excava- tions, differential recovery rates among volunteers have been noted, and this is thought to reflect the volunteer’s individual interest and knowledge as much as the distribution of material on the ground (Clarke, 1978). As a result, because it is difficult on an underwater site for the project director to monitor every excavator, it will be necessary to ensure that experienced staff members are aware of the problem.