2nd June 2008, 02:59 PM
Posted by Dirty Dave:
However, it doesn't sound like ploughsoil - we are talking about a distinct layer, separate from the topsoil, and we are in a town, not in arable land. We also know that it is there before we start.
I think in my previous posts I did acknowledge that there are circumstances in which investigation of the topsoil/ploughsoil is justified, in varying degrees of detail depending on the site. My main comments related more to the 'typical' British plough-truncated rural site, in which there may or may not be some useful information in the ploughsoil, but it is unlikely to be sufficiently useful to justify the time and resources required to recover it.
All archaeological excavations are, to some extent, sampling operations, and there is no such thing as 100% data recovery. This is just one example of the type of sampling decision that needs to be made. The important thing is to consider the method/approach afresh for each new site, not to adopt a simple 'blanket' approach for all rural sites.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished
Quote:quote:I think it depends upon the site itself as to whether cost is justified-a good example is Horncastle in Lincs. Over the southern half of the town sealed by the topsoil there is a layer of dark earth which has material truncated out of features that it is sealingThis certainly does sound like a circumstance in which investigation of the 'dark earth' layer would be appropriate, although you would have to work out a sensible methodology.
However, it doesn't sound like ploughsoil - we are talking about a distinct layer, separate from the topsoil, and we are in a town, not in arable land. We also know that it is there before we start.
I think in my previous posts I did acknowledge that there are circumstances in which investigation of the topsoil/ploughsoil is justified, in varying degrees of detail depending on the site. My main comments related more to the 'typical' British plough-truncated rural site, in which there may or may not be some useful information in the ploughsoil, but it is unlikely to be sufficiently useful to justify the time and resources required to recover it.
All archaeological excavations are, to some extent, sampling operations, and there is no such thing as 100% data recovery. This is just one example of the type of sampling decision that needs to be made. The important thing is to consider the method/approach afresh for each new site, not to adopt a simple 'blanket' approach for all rural sites.
1man1desk
to let, fully furnished