102,870
edits
Changes
From Nordan Symposia
Jump to navigationJump to searchCreated page with 'File:lighterstill.jpgright|frame ==Origin== Latin ''excavatus'', past participle of ''excavare'', from ''ex''- + ''cavare'' to make hollow ...'
[[File:lighterstill.jpg]][[File:Excavation_5.jpg|right|frame]]
==Origin==
[[Latin]] ''excavatus'', past participle of ''excavare'', from ''ex''- + ''cavare'' to make [[hollow]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_century 1599]
==Definitions==
*1: to [[form]] a cavity or hole in
*2: to form by hollowing out
*3: to dig out and remove
*4: to [[expose]] to view by or as if by digging away a covering <excavate the remains of a [[temple]]>
==Description==
In [[archaeology]], '''excavation''' is the [[exposure]], processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is a site being [[studied]]. Such a site excavation concerns itself with a specific archaeological site or a [[connected]] series of sites, and may be conducted over as little as several weeks to over a number of years.
Within the [[practice]] of ''excavation'', numerous specialized [[techniques]] are available for use, and each dig will have its particular features, which will determine the archaeologists' approach. [[Resources]] and other [[practical]] issues do not allow archaeologists to carry out excavations whenever and wherever they choose. These constraints mean many known sites have been deliberately left unexcavated. This is with the [[intention]] of preserving them for [[future]] generations as well as recognising the role they serve in the [[communities]] that live near them. In some cases it is also hoped that improvements in [[technology]] will enable them to be re-examined at a later date, with more fruitful results. Excavation involves the recovery of several types of [[data]] from a site, a place where there is [[evidence]] for [[past]] human activity. These data include [[artifacts]] (objects made or modified by humans), features (modifications to the site itself such as post molds, [[burials]], and [[hearth]]s), ecofacts (evidence for the local environment and resources being used such as snail shells, seeds, and butchered bones). and most importantly of all context (the [[relationships]] among the other types of data). Ideally, it should be possible from the excavation records to completely reconstruct the site in three-dimensional space.
The [[presence]] or [[absence]] of archaeological remains can often be suggested to a more or less high degree of [[probability]], by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_sensing remote sensing], such as ground-penetrating [[radar]]. Indeed, grosser [[information]] about the development of the site may be drawn from this work but the [[understanding]] of finer features usually requires excavation though appropriate use of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auger augering].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excavation_%28archaeology%29]
[[Category: Archaeology]]
==Origin==
[[Latin]] ''excavatus'', past participle of ''excavare'', from ''ex''- + ''cavare'' to make [[hollow]]
*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/16th_century 1599]
==Definitions==
*1: to [[form]] a cavity or hole in
*2: to form by hollowing out
*3: to dig out and remove
*4: to [[expose]] to view by or as if by digging away a covering <excavate the remains of a [[temple]]>
==Description==
In [[archaeology]], '''excavation''' is the [[exposure]], processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is a site being [[studied]]. Such a site excavation concerns itself with a specific archaeological site or a [[connected]] series of sites, and may be conducted over as little as several weeks to over a number of years.
Within the [[practice]] of ''excavation'', numerous specialized [[techniques]] are available for use, and each dig will have its particular features, which will determine the archaeologists' approach. [[Resources]] and other [[practical]] issues do not allow archaeologists to carry out excavations whenever and wherever they choose. These constraints mean many known sites have been deliberately left unexcavated. This is with the [[intention]] of preserving them for [[future]] generations as well as recognising the role they serve in the [[communities]] that live near them. In some cases it is also hoped that improvements in [[technology]] will enable them to be re-examined at a later date, with more fruitful results. Excavation involves the recovery of several types of [[data]] from a site, a place where there is [[evidence]] for [[past]] human activity. These data include [[artifacts]] (objects made or modified by humans), features (modifications to the site itself such as post molds, [[burials]], and [[hearth]]s), ecofacts (evidence for the local environment and resources being used such as snail shells, seeds, and butchered bones). and most importantly of all context (the [[relationships]] among the other types of data). Ideally, it should be possible from the excavation records to completely reconstruct the site in three-dimensional space.
The [[presence]] or [[absence]] of archaeological remains can often be suggested to a more or less high degree of [[probability]], by [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remote_sensing remote sensing], such as ground-penetrating [[radar]]. Indeed, grosser [[information]] about the development of the site may be drawn from this work but the [[understanding]] of finer features usually requires excavation though appropriate use of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auger augering].[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Excavation_%28archaeology%29]
[[Category: Archaeology]]
