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The Practice of Archeology
Archeology is the study
of ancient, historic, and modern cultures through their
material remains. Material remains include not just
artifacts (such as stone tools, historic ceramics,
and the like) but also built resources (including
buildings, monuments, and ruins), landscape features
(earthen mounds, historic agricultural field patterns,
transportation routes, and the designed landscapes of
public parks, among others), and natural resources (such
as pollen, seeds, bone, and shell). Thus, archeology
involves the study of every aspect of human endeavor
that left some form of physical remains.
To accomplish such a
daunting task, archeological research in national parks
consists generally of one or more of the following
steps:
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Identification
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Evaluation
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Treatment
Identification
of archeological resources combines any number of
research techniques, including the use of oral history,
documentary resources, field survey and mapping, surface
collecting of artifacts, probing soils with a variety of
simple to complex scientific equipment, including soil
resistivity meters and ground penetrating radar, and
limited test excavation. The goal of this research is
simply to locate and identify sites and archeological
features and record/map their locations along with a
limited amount of information about the sites.
 Evaluation
involves more in-depth investigation of a single site,
perhaps a group of sites, or even several sites together
with the landscape features that connect them. The
process of evaluation involves comparing what is known
about the archeological sites and features in the
broader context of local, regional, and national
historical research themes. A key component of the
evaluative stage is determining what could be learned
from further research through excavation or other
methods of archeology. The research potential of
the site (or group of sites) figures strongly in
determining appropriate treatments.
Treatment
of the site, group of sites, and/or landscape features
can range from simply monitoring condition (for sites
that may be protected by a combination of natural
factors, such as being situated in an extremely isolated
location) to full-scale excavation and analysis of the
retrievable archeological remains. Most treatment
alternatives fall somewhere between these extremes.
Limited excavation is often employed to explore research
questions about the site while leaving remaining areas
of the site untouched (but protected) for future
generations. Treatment includes the long-term care of
artifacts collected from sites as well as the associated
records of archeological investigations.
Effective interpretation
of archeological sites must be based on an understanding
of the ways in which sites were identified, evaluated,
and treated. Past conservation decisions affect in a
culturally significant way which sites have been
preserved and which ones will be protected for future
study. These factors directly affect the position of
archeological resources in our national story and
directly influence the kinds of interpretive programs
that should be developed.
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