Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology

This collection contains the abstracts of the papers presented in the session entitled "Strides Towards Standard Methodologies in Aeronautical Archaeology," at the 2020 annual meeting of the Society for Historical Archaeology.

Researchers theorized about aviation archaeology as early as the 1980s, and the first methodology publications, mainly by government agencies and archaeology students, appeared in the 1990s. Since, state and federal agencies, university scholars, and independent researchers have attempted to explain, expand, and formalize the sub-discipline. The focus has been on looking beyond historical documentation and artifact-centric salvage. Archaeological surveys on terrestrial aviation heritage sites and objects, and underwater aircraft of all types include site formation processes, battlefield, and landscape studies. A return to theoretical frameworks for studying aeronautical heritage is a recent development in academic work. Around the world, archaeologists are taking multiple scientific approaches to evaluate aviation heritage sites and objects in all environments. The papers in this session will serve to account for the current practices and help determine the next steps to achieve a standard methodology in aeronautical archaeology.