Study collections

Giorgio Buccellati – August 2009

Nature of the study collections

Study collections contain all the objects of non museographic interest that have been collected, recorded and stored for future use. They are technical in scope, and as such they belong properly in the Urkesh Global Record, were they are treated individually. Here, one will find only a brief indication of the different types.

The basic collection

The basic collection contains more than 12,000 items as of 2009. It is the only one who is at the moment fully catalogued and organized for use.

The ceramic library

The ceramic collection is organized for viewing, but is not yet fully cataloged. It contains a large display of ceramic vessel types, arranged according to a variety of criteria – stratigraphy, ware, shape, manufacturing techniques.

Cf. also the digital book about CERAMICS.

The conservation collection

Fragmentary pieces that are delicate and fragile are stored in the conservation labs, where the conditions are more suitable and controlled than in the large storage room, and where the conservators can, from year to year, monitor the state of preservation of these items. They include primarily small fragments and scraps of bronze objects.

The special collection

Some fragments belonging to special categories are housed separately, even if they do not need special attention with regard to conservation. These include especially fragments of sealings that have minimal or no glyptic impressions: they are kept in a special cabinet on account of their particularly fragile condition.

The zoology and natural science collections

Samples of the major animal species (cf. publications about archaeozoology) found in the excavations are stored in the paleozoology lab.

A similar collection of seeds ad vegetal remains is also in preparation (for now, cf. Riehl 2000).