Written by Cat Reed (’25), CARCAS Lab Manager
As a student worker in the CARCAS lab, there are a wide range of jobs that I take part in, including preparing skeletons for our collection, taking care of our colony of dermestid beetles, working on zooarchaeological analysis reports, and so much more. The CARCAS lab is constantly looking to expand our collection of skeletons, which means there’s always work to be done.
When beginning with a whole animal carcass, it takes a lot of work before we’re able to have a clean and labeled skeleton for our collection. This process can be broken down into two main steps:
1. Removing the flesh from the bones:
Our colony of dermestid beetles does a great job with this process, but there’s some initial preparation we have to do before they can get started. The beetles don’t eat fur or feathers, and they’re sensitive to moisture in their tank, so we remove skin, organs, and some of the flesh before giving them the carcass. The beetles can then do the rest of the work of cleaning the bones of flesh.
2. Cleaning the bones:
After the beetles are finished with the bones, they’re clean of any flesh, but they’re still packed with fats that will migrate to the surface of the bone over time. In order to get those fats out, the bones will have to undergo a process called degreasing, where they’re submerged in a solution of heated water and ammonia. This process can take weeks to months, since the amount of grease depends on both the type of bone, and the type of animal it comes from. Even though this process can be time consuming and frustrating, the end results are worth it! After the bones are fully degreased, they can be whitened in a solution of water and hydrogen peroxide. At this point, they can be labeled and stored in our collection.
What do we do with our collection?
Having a comparative collection in our lab is very important when it comes to doing zooarchaeological work. This type of work often involves making accurate identifications of bones that were excavated. This can be a difficult task when you only have photos to compare a bone to. Being able to pick up a bone, turn it over, and hold it up next to the bone you’re trying to identify can make it much easier to make an accurate identification.
During the summer and fall of 2023, I spent a lot of time analyzing bones that were excavated from the arb’s Olin Farm site by the students of the class Archeological Methodology in the fall and spring of 2022. For each bone, we tried to record the species, bone type, weight, evidence of butchery, and more. Having an extensive comparative collection was crucial for this process, especially since many of the bones being analyzed were small fragments. Through many hours of comparison and identification, we were able to get data that can help us gain a better understanding of the history of the Olin Farm.
