Protocols for sedaDNA Sampling

Protocol for Tube Sampling from the Archaeological Section

Materials:

• Water-Bleach (5%) solution
• Water
• Bleach
• Plastic bottle
• Disposable gloves
• Paper towels
• Face masks
• Disposable coveralls
• Disposable spatulas (or metal spatulas)
• Sterile spatula
• 50 mL tubes
• Small zipped plastic bags

Equipment Setup & Procedure:

1. Dress up:
   a. Put on the gloves first, and clean the hands with bleach.
   b. Put the mask on.
   c. Put on the hair net and the coverall (optional).
   d. Put on another pair of gloves and clean your hands with bleach.
   e. Take a spatula and clean it with bleach.\
2. Use it to dig into the section about 3 cm.
3. Take another spatula and clean it with bleach. \

⚠️ - Can be used again for other samples after cleaning with bleach.

4. Take a 5/15 mL tube and position it under the dug section. \

⚠️ - The needed amount of soil sample is less than 100 mg per extraction (according to Rohland et al., 2018, Zavala et al.,2021)

5. Fill the tube partly with the soil from the section using a sterile spatula.
6. Close the lid and label the tube. \

⚠️ - Proper labeling is crucial. A label should include all the information about the sample’s location, sampling date, and (if known) archeological period. The location information should be based on the excavation's own system.

7. Put the tube in a labeled zipped bag.
8. Dispose of the spatula and the pair of gloves.

⚠️ - In case of a limited number of materials, clean them intensively with bleach to reuse them.

✅ For the following sample, return to 1d and repeat the remaining steps.

Protocol for Core Sampling from the Archaeological Section

Materials

• Water-Bleach (5%) solution
• Water
• Bleach
• Plastic bottle
• Disposable gloves
• Paper towels
• Face masks
• Disposable coveralls
• Labelling stickers
• Plastic wraps
• Metal or plastic pollen cores
• Hammer
• A trowel
• Small zipped plastic bags

Equipment Setup & Procedure

1. Dress up:
   a. Put on the gloves first, and clean the hands with bleach.
   b. Put the mask on.
   c. Put on the hair net and the coverall (optional).
   d. Put on another pair of gloves and clean your hands with bleach.
   e. Take a spatula and clean it with bleach.\
2. Clean the surface with the spatula (or trowel)

⚠️ - Can be used again for other samples after cleaning with bleach. \

3. Take the plastic core and place it in the section with the help of a hammer. \
4. Take the core out with the help of a travel.
5. Wrap the core with the plastic wrap.
6. Put the sticker on the core and label the core.

⚠️ - Proper labeling is crucial. A label should include all the information about the sample’s location, sampling date, and (if known) archeological period. The location information should be based on the excavation's own system.

7. Dispose of the spatula and the pair of gloves.

⚠️ - In case of a limited number of materials, clean them intensively with bleach to reuse them.

✅ For the following sample, return to 1d and repeat the remaining steps.

Demonstration of sedaDNA Sampling