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Testing Flotation Recovery Rates

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Gail E. Wagner
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Abstract

The poppy seed recovery test is a simple and inexpensive means of determining the effectiveness and consistency of any particular botanical flotation system. By adding a known number of charred poppy seeds (Papaver somniferum) to a sample before it is processed, archaeologists can check for loss, damage, and inter-sample contamination. Different systems, equipment, methods, and personnel tested since 1976 yield recovery rate percentages ranging from 6% to 98%. Such percentages provide a basis of comparison among widely differing flotation systems and enable the archaeologist to decide which flotation system to use under particular logistical constraints.

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Type
Reports
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 47 , Issue 1 , January 1982, pp. 127 - 132
Copyright
Copyright © Society for American Archaeology 1982

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References

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