Developing an Archeological Site Conservation Database

Summary

Though the conservation and long-term management archaeological sites is now generally accepted wisdom, it wasn't always so. A traditional bias toward excavation and the keeping of only basic site data has had effects that linger on today. Historically, and to the detriment of long-term site care, information has been collected with only fundamental concerns such as location and interpretation in mind. Excavation was favored over in-place conservation, under the assumption that the latter was too complicated and expensive. But the true cost of excavation is often more than anticipated, and often grows as the curation of objects is projected into the future. What should a resource manager know to compose an effective longterm plan? It goes far beyond a site's age and location. What are the environmental dynamics of the setting? What kind of ground cover grows there? What is the soil type? Is damage being caused by vandals? Cyclical inundation? Timber harvesting? Off-road vehicles? Jet-skis?

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Federal Archeology Program

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Spatial Coverage

Individual & Institutional Roles

Sponsor(s): National Clearinghouse for Archaeological Site; Center for Archaeological Research; National Park Service; United States Department of the Interior

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