Outline the basic principles of archaeological excavation - Essay Example

Principles of Archeological Excavation Excavation is the digging out, then processing the material found and finally recording the results. The whole process of excavation allows the discovery of historical artifacts that can be used to trace the origin of man and shed more light on his bygone life. This research paper highlights the principles of archeological excavation and elaborates on what needs to be done when conducting an excavation.Excavation Background and Scheduling This is the first step towards conducting a successful excavation process.

At this stage, the team needs to figure out the excavation designs. They need to visit the site prior to the excavation process in order to conduct a background check and acknowledge the favorability of the site. It is at this stage also that the permits to excavate a certain place have to be acquired. The process cannot just happen without the consent of the in charge bodies (Balme & Paterson, 2006 p98).Excavation Methods This particular stage involves figuring out what procedures to be used in the excavation progression.

There is a wide range of processes ranging from the simple to complex methods. The equipment to be used to excavate should also decide at this juncture and ensure that it will get the work done (Balme & Paterson, 2006 p9106)Field Workrooms/Laboratories These should be set up to provide proper working areas to examine the discovered artifacts. This ensures that the transport of discoveries that might damage them or lead to loss of important information is totally avoided.Cuartion of Artifacts and Data CollectedThis phase involves putting together all the content of the whole process and sorting it out.

This stage finally makes sense of the entire excavation process by organizing and placing all the information in a manner that is easily comprehensible (Balme & Paterson, 2006 p113).Report Writing This is the final stage in the excavation process. After all the data has been analyzed and put in order, the final verdict can be given about what was discovered. In conclusion, in order to achieve the desired results, the excavation process must follow a series of steps and ensure everything is done appropriately.

BibliographyBalme, J. and Paterson, A., “Stratigraphy”, 97-116. In J, Balme and A. Paterson (eds.), Archaeology in Practice, 2006