Valiosos e indeseables: colaboración interdisciplinaria en el reconocimiento de insectos asociados a colecciones arqueológicas del Museo de La Plata (Argentina)

Abstract

The formation of interdisciplinary teams for the conditioning of archaeological collections in museums usually involves the participation of archaeologists, museologists and curators, but it is unusual for them to include professionals from the natural sciences. Perhaps because it is not clear what specific contribution they can make to the work, or because it is not considered that the museographic field can also be a field of research on the collections it conserves. The incorporation of entomologists into the team in charge of the enhancement of archaeological collections at the Museo de La Plata (province of Buenos Aires, Argentina) not only contributed to the design and implementation of an adequate management plan for the harmful insects detected in its deposits, but also inaugurated a new line of archaeoentomological work at the local level, focused on the revision of collections that have been kept for years in museums.