What is Some of the Research That Has to Be Done Prior to an Archaeological Survey?

Posted on: 20 May 2022

If you live in a certain area, you might be required to have an archaeological survey done before you can do any type of building or improvement on your property. Even if this is not required in your area for residential projects, it might be required for bigger projects, such as if a large highway or bridge is being built or if a mine is being set up. Archeological surveys involve a lot of digging and looking for artifacts, but digging does not start right away. Instead, some research has to be done before digging can begin. These are some examples of the research that an archaeological surveyor and their team might perform before they get started. 

Looking at Land Surveys

If a land survey has been done on the property recently, then you will need to turn in the paperwork from the survey. In many cases, archaeological surveyors like to have topographical surveys done on the properties that they will be working on. Then, they will have an idea of the type of land that they will be working on. This can give them an idea of the different artifacts that they should be looking for. It can also help them determine how much time they will need to dedicate to the project, what equipment they will need to have access to on the day that they start their work, and much more.

Doing Research About the Land and Area

Many archaeologists will take the time to do their research about the land and the area where they are going to be working in. They might look into things like which tribes might have lived in that area in the past, and they might find out about artifacts that might have been found on neighbouring properties in the past.

Contacting Others to Get Involved in the Project

An archaeological surveyor should have ample experience in the field and should know about different artifacts. They should have an idea of what to look for when they are performing their survey, and they should be able to identify various artifacts on their own. However, they might get researchers, members of certain tribes, and more involved in the project. Then, they will have even more help and information when they are digging for artifacts.

As you can see, a lot of work has to be done before archaeological survey research can be done on a property. These are just a few examples of things that archeological surveyors might do before they ever get started on your project.

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