A shovel test pit (STP) is a standard method for Phase I of an archaeological survey. [1] It is usually a part of the Cultural Resources Management (CRM) methodology and a popular form of rapid archaeological survey in the United States of America and Canada.
It designates a series of (c. 0.50 m or less) test holes, usually dug out by a shovel (hence the name) in order to determine whether the soil contains any cultural remains that are not visible on the surface. [2] The soil is sifted or screened through 1/4" or 6 mm wire mesh to recover the artifacts.
STPs will often be laid out over the project area in a grid-like fashion or in a consistently spaced line, creating a fairly systematic survey. [3] Therefore, after the holes have been dug, one may map artifact densities over the project area, pinpointing the locations of possible sites where further investigation may be necessary. The interval at which the STPs are placed varies considerably and, in CRM at least, is sometimes prescribed by state regulations (in the U.S.) or is determined by the conditions in the field. The usual space between two STPs is 10 m or more but it can be considerably less (e.g., 1 m). The current standards in the United States is 30m or less. The depth of an STP depends on the depth at which either the bedrock or the sterile subsoil is found.
The form of STP may vary from region to region and even within regions by company/organization. Common forms include circular and square shaped. Circular STP often have cylindrical to "bullet" (i.e., cylinder with short inverted conical base) shaped profiles and range from 30 cm to 50 cm diameter. Square STPs are typically about 50 cm, but some locations prefer other sizes (e.g., 40 cm). Unusual and unusually ineffective variants include circular (30 to 50 cm diameter) STP with truncated conical profiles.
Depth of STP excavation also varies widely and is often dependent upon local soil types and expected maximum depth of sites. Typically this ranges from 30 cm to 1.0 m. A second factor is mechanical, in that excavation is limited by the tools and techniques used (i.e., shovel versus trowel). Typically STP are excavated to a maximum average of 1.0 m, although it is possible to excavate somewhat deeper (1.25 to 1.5 m) dependent upon the excavator and the tools available. STP can be combined with other techniques and tools (augers, corers) to extend the maximum depth of effective testing beyond 1.5 m.
In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be conducted over a few weeks to several years.
The Great Serpent Mound is a 1,348-foot-long (411 m), three-foot-high prehistoric effigy mound located in Peebles, Ohio. It was built on what is known as the Serpent Mound crater plateau, running along the Ohio Brush Creek in Adams County, Ohio. The mound is the largest serpent effigy in the world.
In archaeology, survey or field survey is a type of field research by which archaeologists search for archaeological sites and collect information about the location, distribution and organization of past human cultures across a large area. Archaeologists conduct surveys to search for particular archaeological sites or kinds of sites, to detect patterns in the distribution of material culture over regions, to make generalizations or test hypotheses about past cultures, and to assess the risks that development projects will have adverse impacts on archaeological heritage. The surveys may be: (a) intrusive or non-intrusive, depending on the needs of the survey team and; (b) extensive or intensive, depending on the types of research questions being asked of the landscape in question. Surveys can be a practical way to decide whether or not to carry out an excavation, but may also be ends in themselves, as they produce important information about past human activities in a regional context.
Ruins of León Viejo is a World Heritage Site in Nicaragua. It was the original location of León. It is the present location of the town of Puerto Momotombo in the Municipality of La Paz Centro of the Department of León. It is administered by the Instituto Nicaragüense de Cultura.
A well is an excavation or structure created in the ground by digging, driving, or drilling to access liquid resources, usually water. The oldest and most common kind of well is a water well, to access groundwater in underground aquifers. The well water is drawn up by a pump, or using containers, such as buckets or large water bags that are raised mechanically or by hand. Water can also be injected back into the aquifer through the well. Wells were first constructed at least eight thousand years ago and historically vary in construction from a simple scoop in the sediment of a dry watercourse to the qanats of Iran, and the stepwells and sakiehs of India. Placing a lining in the well shaft helps create stability, and linings of wood or wickerwork date back at least as far as the Iron Age.
The Mooney site is a precontact Native American archaeological site on the Red River Levee in Norman County, Minnesota. It is a multicomponent site consisting of remains from both the Archaic and Woodland traditions. No diagnostic Archaic artifacts were found. However, animal remains and lithic materials recovered from one meter below the Woodland artifacts returned a carbon 14 date that provided the basis for the Archaic classification. The Woodland tradition is defined by a vertical scatter of materials, dated to about 1000 using thermoluminescence methods. Many animal bones were found at the site, reflecting a great emphasis on a wide range of hunting activity that focused on bison. Artifacts such as local and exotic lithic materials were found, as well as a wide variety of pottery and other ceramic remains. Much of the pottery followed the Sandy Lake model; however, some artifacts were placed in a new class of artisanship known as Red River Ware.
A suction excavator or vacuum excavator is a construction vehicle that removes materials from a hole on land, or removes heavy debris on land.
The Mill Branch archaeological site is located in Warren County, Georgia west of Augusta and south of Thomson. It is located in the Brier Creek watershed. A reservoir was deemed necessary to assist in kaolin processing during times of drought. For this project to commence, a permit was needed from the Corps of Engineers, which required a cultural resource impact study to first be done. J.M. Huber Corporation contracted Southeastern Archaeological Services to do an initial survey of the area in 1988 with additional data recovery in 1990. J.M Huber Corporation determined that two sites surveyed by Southeastern Archaeological Services, specifically 9WR4 and 9WR11, could not be avoided or preserved. Huber no longer owns this property. These two sites were excavated between April 23 and May 31, 1990. The field report, Archaeological Investigations at Mill Branch Sites 9WR4 and 9WR11 Warren County, Georgia, was published in 1995 and compiled by R. Jerald Ledbetter.
Humboldt Cave is an archeological site in Churchill County, Nevada. Thirty-one caches were excavated from the cave, but there is only one radiocarbon date of 1953±175 14C BP from the cave, which suggests that Humboldt Cave may have only been a single cultural component. In other words, the caches from the cave may have only been deposited once and at the same time.
Located in the upper Gunnison basins Tenderfoot is a prehistoric or Archaic site that was excavated by Mark Stiger, with assistance from facility and students at Western State College. The site is located in Gunnison, Colorado on a low ridge that extends west from Tenderfoot Mountain overlooking the joining of the Gunnison and Tomichi River.
Songo Mnara is a historic Swahiili settlement in located on Songo Mnara Island in Pande Mikoma, Kilwa District in Lindi Region of Tanzania. The island is home to a Medieval Swahili stone town. The stone town was occupied from the 14th to 16th centuries. Songo Mnara has been recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, along with nearby stone town Kilwa Kisiwani. In total, archaeologists have found six mosques, four cemeteries, and two dozen house blocks along with three enclosed open spaces on the island. Songo Mnara was constructed from rough-coral and mortar. This stonetown was built as one of many trade towns on the Indian Ocean. The site is a registered National Historic Site.
Digging, also referred to as excavation, is the process of using some implement such as claws, hands, manual tools or heavy equipment, to remove material from a solid surface, usually soil, sand or rock on the surface of Earth. Digging is actually the combination of two processes, the first being the breaking or cutting of the surface, and the second being the removal and relocation of the material found there. In a simple digging situation, this may be accomplished in a single motion, with the digging implement being used to break the surface and immediately fling the material away from the hole or other structure being dug.
The Kalemba Rockshelter is an archaeology site located in eastern Zambia, at coordinates 14°7 S and 32°3 E. Local tradition recalls the use of the rock shelter as a refuge during the time of Ngoni raiding in the 19th century. The site is known for various rock paintings as well as advanced microlithic use.
Matupi Cave is a cave in the Mount Hoyo massif of the Ituri Rainforest, Democratic Republic of the Congo, where archaeologists have found evidence for Late Stone Age human occupation spanning over 40,000 years. The cave has some of the earliest evidence in the world for microlithic tool technologies.
This page is a glossary of archaeology, the study of the human past from material remains.
The Shriver Circle Earthworks are an Ohio Hopewell culture archaeological site located in Chillicothe in Ross County, Ohio. At 1,200 feet (370 m) in diameter the site is one of the largest Hopewell circular enclosures in the state of Ohio.
Goytepe is a neolithic archaeological complex in Azerbaijan. Goytepe is affiliated with the Shomutepe culture and it is the largest settlement of the early period of Neolithic era in the South Caucasus.
The Two Dogs Site is a lithic quarry site located in Person County, North Carolina. This prehistoric archaeological site dates to the Middle Archaic and Woodland Periods, and it is classified as a lithic quarry site due to the presence of thousands of lithic artifacts found there. Located in the Carolina Slate Belt, the stone materials present at Two Dogs provided prehistoric peoples with openly accessible lithic resources, predominantly for tool-making, as they passed through the site between other, more residential areas. Two Dogs was excavated from 2004-2005 following shovel testing at the beginning of the decade. The lithic materials found at the Two Dogs Site were subjected to petrographic analysis, and isotopes were geochemically tested to confirm the origins of the stone artifacts. The Two Dogs site has been determined to be neither residential or agricultural; rather, this site was exclusively an area where people from nearby sedentary civilizations could access their necessary lithic resources.
The Mlambalasi Rock Shelter is a historic site located in Iringa District of Iringa Region in southern Tanzania, 50 km away from Iringa City. Excavations in 2006 and 2010 by the Iringa Region Archaeological Project uncovered artifactual deposits from the Later Stone Age (LSA), the Iron Age, and the historic periods, as well as external artifacts from the Middle Stone Age (MSA). Direct dating on Achatina shell and ostrich eggshell beads indicates that the oldest human burials at Mlambalasi are from the terminal Pleistocene. Mlambalasi is characterized by interment LSA and Iron Age periods, as well as by cycles of use and abandonment.
Ginnig is a tell in Upper Mesopotamia that was occupied at the transition from the PPNB to the Pottery Neolithic.