Digs: Test Excavations

▲ Back to Gallery		Site Review	Locate, Survey Site	Test Excavations
◀ Previous		Grid Layout	Excavate, Level by Level	Screening
▶ Next		What Do We Find?	Lab Process, Report Writing	Site Preservation

Geo-physical tests will provide information on the extent of a below-ground anomaly; however, sub-surface excavations are required to determine what that anomaly may be in archaeological context. So, once an area of potential is located, test excavations or soil cores are conducted.

Small shovel-test pits are excavated systematically over the area of interest to provide extensive coverage. Test pits will (hopefully) locate the site and determine its boundaries. Should artifacts or features be encountered during the test process, further testing is conducted in the area to assess the site's significance.

If the site is considered significant -- that is, if it can yield important information about the past -- and the site is threatened with vandalism or development, then full scale excavations can proceed.