The first instance of archaeological excavation took place in the sixth century BC when Nabonidus, the king … See more

There are two basic types of modern archaeological excavation:
1. Research excavation – when time and resources are available to excavate the site fully and at a leisurely pace. These are now almost excl… See more

Archaeological material tends to accumulate in events. A gardener swept a pile of soil into a corner, laid a gravel path or planted a bush in a hole. A builder built a wall and back-filled the trench. Years later, someone b… See more

Excavation initially involves the removal of any topsoil. A strategy for sampling the contexts and features is formulated which may involve total excavation of each feature or only portions.
In stratigra… See more

This describes the use in excavations of various types and sizes of machines from small backhoes to heavy duty earth-moving machinery. Machines are often used in what is called salvage or rescue archaeolog… See more