Table of Contents
- 1 What factors are important for the preservation of archaeological remains?
- 2 What are archaeological preservation conditions?
- 3 How can archeological sites be preserved?
- 4 What is preservation bias?
- 5 Who is responsible for the preservation of Historic Sites?
- 6 How are archaeological sites protected in the US?
What factors are important for the preservation of archaeological remains?
Major factors which influence such decay are temperature, pH, and the presence of oxygen, water and micro-organisms (English Heritage 2012). The survival into the present day of any given archaeological material depends on the burial environment in which it was first deposited.
What are archaeological preservation conditions?
Organic materials are usually best preserved in hot, dry environments (like in Egypt) or in wetter, colder environments where they remain in relatively constant temperatures with low oxygen exposure. Surprisingly, sometimes organic materials do survive in marine environments (e.g. wooden shipwrecks).
What other factors and processes might bias the preservation and or visibility of archaeological sites?
Archaeological field survey data can be biased by many factors, such as ground visibility conditions (e.g. vegetation, plowing) and geomorphological processes (erosion, deposition).
What factor does the most damage to archaeological sites?
Weathering. The source of most damage is weathering. Erosion through wind, rain, freeze-thaw, and evaporation are extremely common and other than covering the site entirely cannot be prevented. However, more dramatic factors are natural disasters: floods, fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, et cetera.
How can archeological sites be preserved?
STAY ON DESIGNATED ROADS: Use existing roads that are approved for use by land managers. Driving off-road can damage fragile archaeology and ecosystems. ENJOY ARCHAEOLOGY WITHOUT ROPES: This protects archaeology from damage caused by falling rocks and looting.
What is preservation bias?
Preservation bias – factors that affect the potential for an organism to become a fossil. Preservation potential – environmental conditions of ecosystems that affect the potential for organisms to become fossils.
What kind of conditions favor organic preservation?
Organic materials, like bone and textile, are most likely to survive in three kinds of conditions: cold, arid, or waterlogged. Cold and frozen environments effectively refrigerate materials. Frozen landscapes often have low humidity levels and preserve artifacts through a process of desiccation, or extreme drying.
What types of environments help preserve archaeological remains and why?
The main types of preservation therefore that have been discovered by archaeologists include preservation in dry, cold and waterlogged environments that have remained at a constant state throughout the time in which the remains have been a part of it.
Who is responsible for the preservation of Historic Sites?
In these countries, the government acts as the sole custodian of historic properties and is the principal financial contributor to research. In the US, archaeological sites exist on private property, on federal public and protected lands, and on lands controlled by states and other local governments (such as tribal lands).
How are archaeological sites protected in the US?
In the US, archaeological sites exist on private property, on federal public and protected lands, and on lands controlled by states and other local governments (such as tribal lands). The sites are then recorded and maintained by a designated agency respective to the land-ownership.
Is archarchaeology regulated in the US?
Archaeology is partially regulated in the United States, and the work itself is primarily carried out in the private sector. This is in contrast to countries with an overarching policy which considers archaeological sites to be national assets; Examples include France, Scandinavia, and Scotland.
Is an archaeological site a national asset?
This is in contrast to countries with an overarching policy which considers archaeological sites to be national assets; Examples include France, Scandinavia, and Scotland. In these countries, the government acts as the sole custodian of historic properties and is the principal financial contributor to research.