The artifacts that are found in the field are put in brown paper bags marked with the excavation unit number and then brought into the archaeology laboratory. Once the artifacts reach the lab, they are washed using water and a toothbrush.
Some artifacts are too delicate to be washed in water, so they are just lightly dry brushed.
After the cleaned artifacts are dry, they are labeled with their excavation unit number using black ink and clear nail polish. The labels help us to keep track of exactly where each artifact was found. After the artifacts are labeled, information about them is put in a computer database. The information describes what the artifact looks like, how big it is and how much it weighs. After the artifacts are processed, most are stored in acid-free boxes until further analysis is needed.