Rescue archaeology
Encyclopedia
Rescue archaeology, sometimes called "preventive" or "salvage" archaeology, is archaeological survey and excavation carried out in areas threatened by, or revealed by, construction or other development. These conditions could include, but are not limited to, the building of dams where sites of interest might exist in the flood plain, highway projects, major construction, or even before the onset of war operations. Unlike traditional survey and excavation, rescue archaeology must be undertaken at speed. Rescue archaeology is included in the broader category of "Cultural resource management (CRM)".
Rescue archaeology occurs on sites about to be destroyed but on occasion may include in situ preservation of any finds, or protective measures taken to preserve an unexcavated site beneath a building, for example. Urban areas with many overlaid years of habitation are often candidates for rescue archaeology.
The focus of early work was in setting up organisations that could undertake 'rescue' excavations in the teeth of the bulldozer
. Archaeologists relied on the goodwill of the developer to provide the opportunity to record remains. In more recent use, an archaeological survey may be required by planning process or building law, as with PPG 16
in the United Kingdom
. Contract or commercial archaeology services have sprung up to meet the needs of developers to comply with local laws and planning regulations.
For many years, the emphasis was on archaeological evidence in the ground. However, with increased interest in industrial archaeology
, rescue archaeology needs to commence by recording extant remains of buildings i.e. prior to demolition.
The term, and indeed the practice of, rescue archaeology is largely restricted to North America
, South America
, Western Europe
, and East Asia
, especially the United States
, the United Kingdom
, Korea
, and Japan
. Many European countries, such as, e.g., Germany
, practice virtually no rescue excavation (though there is extensive research archaeology). The many rescue archaeology projects in the Middle East
are generally termed "salvage archaeology".
, excavation, artifact curation, field survey often in difficult conditions (such as dense woodland), and typically working to tight deadlines. Given that the outputs of much of the work that is undertaken in advance of development work is not published in peer reviewed journals, the people that perform the actual research are often anonymous and unrecognized.
"Shovel Bums
" is a play on one of the more polite names which professional archaeologists call each other when they enter the field of rescue archaeology and move from excavation to excavation. As much archaeology is now developer-led, the fieldworkers must move to where the work is when one contract is complete, much like ski-bums following the good snow fall. For professional field archaeologists the Shovel Bum phase of a career is now considered a rite of passage. It is during this time that any field archaeologist worth their salt learns the ropes from the ground (literally) up.
Shovelbums is also the name of the world's largest professional archaeology/cultural resource management organization. Founded as a free employment service in 1999 by R. Joe Brandon, Shovel Bums has grown to an active membership of 12,000. Today Shovelbums.org functions not just as a conduit to the majority of jobs in archaeology, but also provides a directory of archaeology field schools and archaeology and cultural resources themed gear.
Rescue archaeology occurs on sites about to be destroyed but on occasion may include in situ preservation of any finds, or protective measures taken to preserve an unexcavated site beneath a building, for example. Urban areas with many overlaid years of habitation are often candidates for rescue archaeology.
The focus of early work was in setting up organisations that could undertake 'rescue' excavations in the teeth of the bulldozer
Bulldozer
A bulldozer is a crawler equipped with a substantial metal plate used to push large quantities of soil, sand, rubble, etc., during construction work and typically equipped at the rear with a claw-like device to loosen densely-compacted materials.Bulldozers can be found on a wide range of sites,...
. Archaeologists relied on the goodwill of the developer to provide the opportunity to record remains. In more recent use, an archaeological survey may be required by planning process or building law, as with PPG 16
PPG 16
Planning Policy Guidance 16: Archaeology and Planning commonly abbreviated as PPG 16, was a document produced by the British Government to advise local planning authorities on the treatment of archaeology within the planning process...
in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. Contract or commercial archaeology services have sprung up to meet the needs of developers to comply with local laws and planning regulations.
For many years, the emphasis was on archaeological evidence in the ground. However, with increased interest in industrial archaeology
Industrial archaeology
Industrial archaeology, like other branches of archaeology, is the study of material culture from the past, but with a focus on industry. Strictly speaking, industrial archaeology includes sites from the earliest times to the most recent...
, rescue archaeology needs to commence by recording extant remains of buildings i.e. prior to demolition.
The term, and indeed the practice of, rescue archaeology is largely restricted to North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, Western Europe
Western Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
, and East Asia
East Asia
East Asia or Eastern Asia is a subregion of Asia that can be defined in either geographical or cultural terms...
, especially the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Many European countries, such as, e.g., Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, practice virtually no rescue excavation (though there is extensive research archaeology). The many rescue archaeology projects in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
are generally termed "salvage archaeology".
Shovel Bums (rescue archaeologists)
Whereas the organizations that take on rescue archaeology contracts are stable entities, the archaeologists who perform the actual field work are, in the main, an army of mobile workers. They work in all types of weather and terrain covering tasks such as ConservationArchaeological site
An archaeological site is a place in which evidence of past activity is preserved , and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.Beyond this, the definition and geographical extent of a 'site' can vary widely,...
, excavation, artifact curation, field survey often in difficult conditions (such as dense woodland), and typically working to tight deadlines. Given that the outputs of much of the work that is undertaken in advance of development work is not published in peer reviewed journals, the people that perform the actual research are often anonymous and unrecognized.
"Shovel Bums
Shovelbum
Shovelbum is a term used by some archaeologists in the United States to refer to the professional excavators on cultural resource management projects...
" is a play on one of the more polite names which professional archaeologists call each other when they enter the field of rescue archaeology and move from excavation to excavation. As much archaeology is now developer-led, the fieldworkers must move to where the work is when one contract is complete, much like ski-bums following the good snow fall. For professional field archaeologists the Shovel Bum phase of a career is now considered a rite of passage. It is during this time that any field archaeologist worth their salt learns the ropes from the ground (literally) up.
Shovelbums is also the name of the world's largest professional archaeology/cultural resource management organization. Founded as a free employment service in 1999 by R. Joe Brandon, Shovel Bums has grown to an active membership of 12,000. Today Shovelbums.org functions not just as a conduit to the majority of jobs in archaeology, but also provides a directory of archaeology field schools and archaeology and cultural resources themed gear.
See also
- Rescue (British Archaeological Trust)Rescue (British Archaeological Trust)Rescue, the British Archaeological Trust is a charitable organisation in the United Kingdom, "committed to the protection, conservation, recording and interpretation of archaeological evidence"....
- Cultural Heritage ManagementCultural Heritage ManagementCultural heritage management is the vocation and practice of managing cultural heritage. It is a branch of cultural resources management , although it also draws on the practices of conservation, restoration, museology, archaeology, history and architecture...
- ShovelbumShovelbumShovelbum is a term used by some archaeologists in the United States to refer to the professional excavators on cultural resource management projects...
External links
- Shovel Bums R. Joe Brandon's free jobs in archaeology and CRM service, archaeology & CRM field schools, and archaeology and CRM gear.