Chapter 2: Excavation

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Weblinks

This chapter deals with the strategies and techniques archaeologists use to recover archaeological remains from land and sea.

2.1 Types of excavation

The site of Rescue can be found at:
http://www.rescue-archaeology.freeserve.co.uk/

Sites for the excavations at Castell Henlys are at:
http://www.york.ac.uk/depts/arch/castellhenllys/web/

2.2 Excavation strategies and the process of excavation

The following provide good coverage of a range of excavations. Most are research excavations.
Pompeii (Italy) http://www.bradford.ac.uk/archsci/field_proj/anampomp/index.html
Boxgrove (England) http://matt.pope.users.btopenworld.com/boxgrove/boxhome.htm
Ballynahatty (Northern Ireland) http://www.qub.ac.uk/arcpal/ballynahatty.htm
Dunragit (Scotland) http://orgs.man.ac.uk/research/dunragit/
Flixborough (England) http://www.hullcc.gov.uk/archaeology/flixboro.htm
Scatness (Shetland) http://www.brad.ac.uk/acad/archsci/field_proj/scat/
Raunds (England) http://museums.ncl.ac.uk/raunds/index.htm
Avebury (England) http://www.arch.soton.ac.uk/Research/Avebury/
White Cairn (Scotland) http://www.uclan.ac.uk/facs/science/archaeology/multimedia/whitecairn.html

Many archaeological units have websites of their projects. A high proportion of these are rescue excavations. Excellent examples can be found at:
http://www.wessexarch.co.uk/
Heathrow Airport (Rescue) http://www.framearch.co.uk/index.html
http://www.framearch.co.uk/t5/

English Heritage produce a number of useful guides including one on environmental sampling:
http://www.qub.ac.uk/schools/media/Media,64419,en.pdf

2.3 What records do archaeologists create?

The Harris Matrix is explained at:
http://www.harrismatrix.com/
Recording contexts:
http://www.mc.maricopa.edu/dept/d10/asb/anthro2003/archy/exploration

2.4 Special cases: excavating human remains

An interactive tutorial on excavating human remains is on the Patois site at: http://ads.ahds.ac.uk/project/patois/module4/index.html
Also:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques/

2.5 Special cases: urban excavation

New York:
http://r2.gsa.gov/fivept/fphome.htm
Ireland:
http://www.heritagecouncil.ie/publications/archresearch/6.html

2.6 Special cases: wet sites and underwater archaeology

The following are sites which deal with aspects of underwater archaeology. They are particularly useful given the low profile of this aspect in many textbooks.

The Museum of Underwater Archaeology:
http://www.uri.edu/mua/
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques/marine_01.shtml
Nordic underwater archaeology:
http://www.abc.se/%7Em10354/uwa/
Dutch maritime archaeology:
http://www.marinemuseum.nl/uk/default.htm

Turkish maritime archaeology:
http://www.diveturkey.com/inaturkey/projects.htm
Scottish Trust for underwater archaeology (includes Crannogs):
http://www.arcl.ed.ac.uk/arch/underwater/stua.htm
Maritime archaeology lists:
http://ina.tamu.edu/
Scottish Crannog Centre:
http://www.crannog.co.uk/
A Mesolithic fireplace (Denmark):
http://dendro.de/Unterwasserarchaeologie/NAU%209/Dal.pdf

D Day beaches:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/archaeology/excavations_techniques