ARRRCHAEOLOGICAL CONSERVATION: PRESERVING THE QUEEN ANNE’S REVENGE AND OTHER ARTIFACTS

Abstract

As partial fulfillment of a master’s degree, the Anthropology Department as East Carolina University offers an internship option. After choosing to pursue this option, a graduate assistantship was made possible through the Queen Anne’s Revenge Conservation Lab on ECU’s West Research Campus. Though archaeology and conservation are separate disciplines the two complement each other well, with each providing a foundation in the proper identification and care of artifacts. The QAR conservation lab is the primary location for the conservation of artifacts recovered from the wreck of the Queen Anne’s Revenge, and as such an internship at this lab provides students with an opportunity to handle and care for a variety of marine artifacts and witness the daily tasks necessary for their conservation. The student is tasked with daily and weekly conservation duties, as well as a personal project to oversee to completion. The skills imparted by this internship will prove invaluable in both a field and lab setting in any future career as an archaeologist, conservator, or museum worker.