Field Archaeology: An Introduction

by Drewett; Peter

• ISBN13: 9780415551199
• ISBN10: 0415551196
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Nonspecific Binding
• Copyright: 2011-03-11
• Publisher: Routledge

Summary

Since its first publication, Field Archaeology: An Introductionhas proved to be a key handbook for all those undertaking introductory courses in archaeology or volunteering on their first excavation. In this revised second edition, key developments in technology, theory and changes in the law are included, bringing it up to date with the most recent fieldwork practices. The dig is the face of archaeology most immediately recognised by the general public, and is often what attracts both students and amateurs to the discipline. Yet there is much more to working in the field than digging alone. Peter Drewett's comprehensive survey explores the process, from the core work of discovery and excavation to the final product, the published archaeological report. The main topics are: How an archaeological site is formed Finding and recording archaeological sites Planning excavations, digging the site and recording the results Post-fieldwork planning, processing and finds analysis Interpreting the evidence Publishing the report Illustrated with 100 photographs and line drawings, and using numerous case studies, this second edition of Field Archaeologyensures it will remain the essential introductory guide for archaeology students and the growing number of enthusiasts for the subject.

Author Biography

Peter Drewett is Emeritus Professor of Archaeology at the University of Sussex. Prior to this, he taught field archaeology at the Institute of Archaeology, University College London, where he directed the undergraduate field training excavations and established the Institute's Field Archaeology Unit. Early in his career he was particularly involved in the rescue excavation of plough-damaged sites on the South Downs. He set up and directed the Barbados Archaeological Survey, as well as running field courses and rescue excavations in Portugal and Hong Kong. Professor Drewett has over 100 published works, including (with Mark Gardiner and David Rudling) The South East to AD 1000 (1988) and Prehistoric Barbados (1991).

Table of Contents

List of figures	p. vii
Preface to the First Edition	p. xi
Preface to the Second Edition	p. xiii
Acknowledgements	p. xv
Abbreviations	p. xvii
Introduction	p. 1
What is archaeology?	p. 1
What is field archaeology?	p. 3
Who does field archaeology?	p. 6
Theoretical basis of field archaeology	p. 8
Project management	p. 12
What is an archaeological site? How is it formed and transformed?	p. 15
Primary and secondary uses	p. 15
Rubbish and accidental loss	p. 18
Burials	p. 20
Abandonment of a site	p. 21
Natural transformation processes	p. 22
Two examples of abandonment	p. 26
Finding archaeological sites	p. 28
Existing knowledge	p. 28
Documents	p. 30
Aerial photography, satellite images and LiDAR	p. 32
Ground survey	p. 39
Geophysical survey	p. 46
Chemical survey	p. 51
Accidental discovery	p. 53
Recording archaeological sites	p. 54
Written description	p. 54
Archaeological surveying	p. 55
Photography	p. 69
Planning the excavation	p. 72
Permission, funding and the law	p. 72
Site safety	p. 78
Staff, equipment and logistics	p. 83
Approaches to excavation	p. 88
Levels of recovery	p. 93
Digging the site	p. 99
Excavation	p. 100
Recurrent types of context and their excavation	p. 102
Sites without features	p. 112
Artefacts and ecofacts, their recovery and treatment	p. 114
Matrices, phasing and dating sites	p. 115
Excavation and the public	p. 118
Recording archaeological excavations	p. 119
The written record	p. 119
The drawn record	p. 123
The photographic record	p. 130
The finds record	p. 133
Post-fieldwork planning, processing and finds analysis	p. 136
Post-fieldwork planning	p. 136
Finds analysis	p. 138
Interpreting the evidence	p. 151
Interpreting the site's environment	p. 151
Interpretation of the household and its activity areas	p. 153
Interpretation of the community and its activity areas	p. 158
Interpretation of how people lived	p. 160
Publishing the report	p. 163
Archaeological illustration	p. 164
Writing a report	p. 169
Getting a report published in a journal	p. 172
References	p. 174
Index	p. 179
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