There are clearly a lot of people on this forum who know about archaeology, so could you explain why in special important digs of national importance like the one at Windsor, archaeologists are only allowed to open a few trenches? It seems to me that if you only uncover a small area you are left with more questions that you started with, because unless you uncover 100% of what your interested in your never going to get the answers. What am I missing?

My other question is, how do archaeologist know when to stop digging? Sometimes they stop at the original floor level then another time they go down and down discovering each level of occupation.

Thank you for your patience.

BB

quote:

Originally posted by Baldricksbrother:
There are clearly a lot of people on this forum who know about archaeology, so could you explain why in special important digs of national importance like the one at Windsor, archaeologists are only allowed to open a few trenches? It seems to me that if you only uncover a small area you are left with more questions that you started with, because unless you uncover 100% of what your interested in your never going to get the answers. What am I missing?

I'll have a go but I am sure that others can eloborate further.

Fist things first TT is an evaluation programme, they are not there to do a full excavation (wider trenches if you like). Evaluation is just that, the site is evaluated from an archaeological point of view. It asks the question what could be there rather than what is there. That particular point is often missed by detracters of Time Team.

Secondly, evaluation protects the site to a degree. Archaeology is a destructive process, once the area has been excavated the evidence is destroyed [to a point]. So by limiting the areas that are dug the rest of the site is protected by being left alone for future archaeologists to examine in the future. Seeing as it is quite possible that they will have techniques that will be more productive than ours (in terms of what they can establish) that is one of the reasons why trenching is kept to a minimum.

Further, the costs involved in the publication (there's a sore point!) of the excavation is considerably increased the further you investigate. Not only that but some finds need special attention and that also increases the costs.

With an evaluation it far more practible to look at smaller areas first and then it is up to the powers in charge if further, more extensive trenches, would be benificial to further the knowledge of the site in question.

On a more serious level, why did your mother bring you and Baldrick up on turnips?

Although it is great, archaeology is also destructive and is sometimes called 'an unrepeatable experiment'. Once you have dug a trench you cannot redig it because everything will be out of context. In order to get to the bottom you have to destroy all the various layers and it is this that gives archaeologists the clues they need.

Important sites are 'scheduled' which means that special permission has to be given to dig in those. I assume Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace would fall into this category. In England English Heritage has to provide this permission, and Scotland it is Historic Scotland etc. This should mean that anyone cannot go and dig up one of these sites if they felt like it, even if they owned the land. Usually they have to be given a very strong reason, because they are very conservative and often prefer to leave archaeology for future generations when they may have better techniques (leading to interesting debates about how those new techniques will be developed without digging but that is another story.)

Although digging larger areas may be better, it at least means that more is left undistrubed for future generations. And a lot more manpower would have been needed if they dug more, which is a logistical concern. Archaeologists can usually work out answers from carefully positioned small trenches if they place them on wall, joins and key features.

As to when to stop digging, you can stop anywhere you choose down to bedrock! You can keep going down and down but it will depend on whether you can physically get down that far, whether you have enough time to dig them properly (otherwise you leave the undug layers for those future generations again). You may also want to stop because you don't want to destroy a particular layer and go down further at tham time, or you may have answered the questions you have at the time.

Hope that helps? I am sure more knowledgable people will give better replies.

H (also over 16)

In a nutshell, that is called a cross post.

But both very beautifully put though