"Excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains."
The practical aspects of conducting archaeological excavations.
Geology and Soil Science: Understanding the characteristics of rock and soil types, and how they relate to excavation techniques and preservation.
Surveying and Mapping: Using digital and manual tools to document and map out an excavation site, marking the position of artifacts and features.
Stratigraphy and Chronology: Developing a sense of the stratigraphic layers present at an excavation site, and the principles of dating and sequencing them.
Field Recording: Collecting data on excavation sites through drawings, notes, photographs, and other records that can assist in reconstructing the past.
Excavation Techniques: Learning the fundamental techniques for digging out sites, including manual and mechanical equipment.
Artifact Analysis: Studying the properties of artifacts found at a site to gain insight into the society and culture that produced them, and how they relate to other finds at the location.
Contextual Analysis: Examining the position of artifacts and structures within the excavation site to determine their context and how they contributed to the larger cultural and environmental dynamics at play.
Site Preservation: Developing strategies for the protection of the excavation site, including recording, documentation, and proper handling and storage of artifacts.
Site Management and Planning: Coordinating the various personnel and resources needed to carry out an excavation, including budgeting, team management, and logistical planning.
Ethics and Archaeological Law: Understanding the ethical and legal considerations of conducting archaeological work, including the responsibilities to the cultural heritage of the locale, the public, and other stakeholders.
Vertical Excavation: This method is characterized by the careful removal of soil and debris from a site in a series of layers or strata. This method is used when archaeologists are interested in understanding the chronological sequence of a site's occupation.
Horizontal Excavation: This method involves excavating an entire area at a single level, allowing archaeologists to view a broad range of artifacts and features. This method is useful when researchers are interested in analyzing the spatial organization of a site.
Salvage Excavation: This type of excavation is typically performed when a construction project threatens an archaeological site. Archaeologists often work under time constraints to uncover as much information as possible before the site is destroyed.
Rescue Excavation: This method is similar to the salvage approach but is typically used when a site is threatened by natural disasters such as floods, landslides, or earthquakes.
Survey Excavation: This method involves the systematic collection of data from a site without any disturbance to the site's physical remains. Archaeologists often use ground-penetrating radar, remote sensing, or other non-invasive technologies to collect data.
Stratigraphic Excavation: This method involves the excavation of a site using a set of predetermined strata or layers. Archaeologists use this approach to understand the chronological sequence of a site's occupation.
Targeted Excavation: This method involves the excavation of a specific feature or set of features at a site. This approach is often used when researchers have a question or hypothesis that they want to test.
"An excavation site or 'dig' is the area being studied."
"These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be conducted over a few weeks to several years."
"This data includes artifacts, features, ecofacts, and archaeological context."
"Artifacts are portable objects made or modified by humans."
"Features are non-portable modifications to the site itself such as post molds, burials, and hearths."
"Ecofacts are evidence of human activity through organic remains such as animal bones, pollen, or charcoal."
"Archaeological context refers to the relationships among the other types of data."
"Non-intrusive remote sensing, such as ground-penetrating radar, can often suggest the presence or absence of archaeological remains."
"Basic information about the development of the site may be drawn from this work."
"Excavation via augering can be used."
"Archaeologists often use stratigraphic excavation to remove phases of the site one layer at a time."
"Stratigraphic excavation keeps the timeline of the material remains consistent with one another."
"Soil can be processed through methods such as mechanical sieving or water flotation."
"Afterwards, digital methods are then used to record the excavation process and its results."
"Ideally, data from the excavation should suffice to reconstruct the site completely in three-dimensional space."
"The processing and recording of archaeological remains is essential to obtain valuable information about past human activities."
"Mechanical sieving is used to process the soil and separate artifacts and other materials."
"Non-portable modifications of the site are studied through features such as post molds, burials, and hearths."
"Understanding the archaeological context is crucial to interpret the relationships among different types of data and gain insights into past human behavior."