Preserving a Rare High-Volume Prehistoric Burial Assemblage: Scalable Preventive Conservation for the Relocation, Cleaning, and Long-Term Storage of Archaeological Human Remains in Taiwan

LIN Jiuan Jiuan

The Nanke Archaeological Burial Cluster in southern Taiwan produced a rare, high-volume assemblage of human skeletal remains through large-scale rescue excavations. Stewardship of this assemblage is undertaken by the National Museum of Prehistory, Taiwan, creating an uncommon conservation challenge: stabilizing, processing, and storing archaeological human remains at institutional scale while maintaining traceability and respectful care. This paper presents an integrated preventive conservation framework developed for the Nanke project, organized into two operational phases: (1) Relocation and logistics—the design of specialized protective housings and modular supports, selection of chemically stable packing materials, and risk-informed handling and transport protocols to ensure physical stability and dignified treatment during high-volume transfers; and (2) Cleaning and storage—systematic soil and contaminant removal workflows supported by documentation and segregation strategies, followed by the establishment of climate-controlled storage conditions and environmental monitoring to mitigate long-term risks, including mechanical damage, moisture fluctuation, and biological activity. While international discourse on human remains frequently foregrounds ethics, repatriation, and display, the technical and managerial dimensions of preventive conservation—especially under high-volume conditions—remain comparatively underreported. By detailing Taiwan’s practice-based solutions, this contribution demonstrates how archaeological human remains can be responsibly managed through cross-disciplinary collaboration that integrates conservation science with cultural sensitivity. The Nanke case offers a scalable, transferable model for museums and heritage institutions across the Indo-Pacific facing increasing pressures from development-led archaeology, ensuring these biocultural records are safeguarded for future research and care.