Archaeologist's Field Handbook

429 Pages·2004·6.61 MB·English

by  Heather Burke

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The Archaeologist’s Field Handbook
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For Jane, Wendy, Mike and Iain
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The Archaeologist’s Field Handbook
Heather Burke and Claire Smith
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Published with the assistance of the Australian Academy of Humanities
First published in 2004
Copyright ©Heather Burke and Claire Smith 2004
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by
any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from
the publisher. TheAustralian Copyright Act 1968(the Act) allows a maximum of one
chapter or 10 per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any
educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational
institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to
Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act.
Allen & Unwin
83 Alexander Street
Crows Nest NSW 2065
Australia
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.allenandunwin.com
National Library of Australia
Cataloguing-in-Publication entry:
Burke, Heather and Smith, Claire.
The Archaeologist’s Field Handbook.
Bibliography
Includes index.
ISBN 1 86508 862 5.
1. Archaeology – Handbooks, manuals, etc. 2. Excavations
(Archaeology) – Handbooks, manuals, etc. I. Smith, Claire,
1957- . II. Title.
930.1028
Typeset in 10.5/13.5 pt Legacy Serif by Midland Typesetters, Maryborough, Vic.
Printed by CMO Image Printing Enterprise, Singapore
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
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CONTENTS
Figures and Tables xiv
Preface xix
Acknowledgments xxiii
1 Preparing for fieldwork 1
Designing your research 3
Finding funding 7
Archaeologists and ethics 11
Planning your field kit 19
Working with the legislation 20
References and further reading 30
Useful websites 30
2 Navigation and mapping 32
Using maps 33
Using a map to calculate a grid reference 36
Making mud maps 42
Using aerial photographs 46
Using a compass 47
Using a Global Positioning System (GPS) 51
Finding north using your watch 53
Survival in the bush 53
Responsible behaviour in the bush 55
Campfire cooking 56
References and further reading 60
Useful websites 60
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vi CONTENTS
3 Finding sites 62
What is a site? 63
Systematic surface survey 65
Developing a suitable sampling strategy 66
Recording information in the field 69
Keeping a field journal 70
Recording transects 73
Recording landform, vegetation and slope 73
Recording water sources 75
Recording soils and geological formations 76
Recording disturbance 78
Determining effective survey coverage: What reveals, what conceals 78
What to do when you find a site 80
Defining a site boundary 82
What not to do at a site 83
A note on classification systems 83
References and further reading 84
Useful websites 84
4 Site surveying 85
The basics 86
Techniques for constructing a site plan 89
Using the compass and pacing technique 90
Using the baseline/offset technique 96
Using the baseline and offset technique to record vertical surfaces 101
Basic principles of levelling 104
References and further reading 113
Useful websites 113
5 Basic excavation techniques 115
The basics 116
The principles of excavation 121
Approaches to excavation 123
Laying out a site grid 125
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CONTENTS vii
Labelling trenches 127
Recording in three dimensions 130
Recording the excavation process 131
Describing deposits 132
Describing cultural features 134
Describing the excavation process 135
Recording sections 135
Interpreting stratigraphy 136
Using a trowel and brush 141
Sieving and sorting 146
Conserving finds on site 150
Labelling finds and samples 150
Collecting samples in the field 151
Managing archaeological collections 156
References and further reading 161
Useful websites 162
6 Recording historical sites 163
What are historical sites? 163
The basics 163
Finding historical sites 166
Using historical documents 167
Recording industrial sites 172
Recording maritime sites 175
Recording standing structures 176
Recording historical artefacts 185
Recording bottles and bottle glass 187
Recording ceramics 193
Recording oral histories 197
References and further reading 200
Useful websites 200
7 Recording Indigenous sites 202
What is an Indigenous site? 202
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viii CONTENTS
The basics 207
Recording stone artefacts 208
Recovering artefacts with residues and use-wear 219
Defining the boundaries of an open artefact scatter 219
Recording rockshelters 221
Recording rock art 223
Recording scarred and carved trees 226
Recording quarries 230
Recording middens 231
Recording stone arrangements 233
Recording contact sites 234
Recording Indigenous histories 235
Undertaking ethnohistoric research 236
What to do if human remains are encountered 237
References and further reading 238
Useful websites 239
8 Managing cultural heritage 240
The basics 241
How to prepare a tender 243
Assessing cultural significance 245
The categories of cultural significance 247
How to assess cultural heritage significance 251
What comes next? Assessing the impacts of development 253
Developing management strategies 254
Strategies for managing work at cultural heritage sites 256
Before you submit your report ... 259
References and further reading 260
Useful websites 261
9 Photography and illustration 262
The basics 264
How a camera works 265
Taking good shots 268
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CONTENTS ix
Holding the camera 273
When to use a tripod 273
Choosing the right camera:SLRvs digital 274
Maintaining your equipment 275
Choosing the right film 276
Scales and information boards 277
Photographing standing structures 278
Photographing excavations 279
Taking aerial photographs 280
Photographing rock art 281
Photographing artefacts 282
Keeping photographic records 283
The basics of field illustration 284
Drawing horizontal surfaces (plans) 286
Drawing vertical surfaces (sections) 289
Drawing artefacts 290
Drawing stone artefacts 298
Drawing ceramics 301
Drawing rock art 302
Storing photographs and illustrations 305
References and further reading 307
Useful websites 308
10 Getting your results out there: Writing, publication and interpretation 309
Writing well 310
Getting started 311
The stages of writing 311
Technical reports 316
Consultancy reports 318
How accountable is your report? 319
Community reports 320
Specialist publications 321
Websites 322
Press releases 322