Acquiring Data, Before Fieldwork

Abstract

Having now reviewed the types of archaeological evidence that one finds in Britain, and the administrative and legal frameworks through which it is managed and curated, we now turn to address the procedures and practices that precede excavation projects. We then review the procedures of excavation itself in the next chapter, recognising that these procedures can be different from country to country. It is important to recognise also that the methods and techniques described here in the context of preparing for excavation can also stand alone as archaeological methods. It may be, for example, as is often the case, that historical or aerial photographic survey is required or desired as an end in itself, and not merely in preparation for an excavation. Excavation may be the technique most commonly associated with archaeological practice, but it is not the be all and end all. Excavation is a particular method for retrieving and understanding archaeological evidence, alongside numerous other methods, some of which we outline here.