Geoffrey J. Tassie and Lawrence Stuart Owens

Standards of Archaeological Excavation; a Fieldguide

This publication is the first fieldguide specifically aimed at excavations conducted in Egypt, Western Asia and Africa. The methods advocated range from the simplest measuring techniques using Pythagoras’ Theorem to Total Stations and Global Positioning Systems (GPS). Controlled, organised excavation and recovery is the essence of good archaeological practice. Field notes, site reports, drawings and photographs are the post-excavational embodiment of the site; once excavated, the contexts are destroyed forever, and these records stand for the artefacts and features that were found there. The graphic and textual reconstruction of the site enables repeatable comparisons to be made, allowing re-evaluation and re-interpretation as necessary. Therefore, the core of this fieldguide deals in great detail with the various methods used to record and organise observations of the various contexts, features, artefacts and ecofacts. This fieldguide is not a text on advanced analytical techniques and interpretation, but permits the excavator to gather data in an ordered, logical manner, presenting it in layered forms of interpretation to aid further interpretation. This book is designed to be carried onto the site with the rest of the archaeologist’s tool kit; to be consulted whilst on site.

600p + CD-ROM

ISBN 978-1-906137-17-5

UK £39.99 - US $80

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