The Archaeologist's Field Handbook

The essential guide for beginners and professionals in Australia

Heather Burke, Michael Morrison, Claire Smith

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2020
• Print ISBN:
  9780367719692
• eBook ISBN:
  9781000247817
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Photography
• Index: Social Sciences

In one volume here is everything you need to conduct fieldwork in archaeology. The Archaeologist's Field Handbook is designed for every kind of archaeological practice, from simple site recordings to professional consultancies and anyone who wants to record heritage sites responsibly.

This hands-on manual provides step-by-step instructions on how to undertake and successfully complete fieldwork in all fields of archaeology, from Indigenous to historical to landscape work. Charts, checklists, graphs, maps and diagrams clearly illustrate how to design, fund, research, map, record, interpret, photograph and write up your fieldwork.

This second edition is updated throughout and incorporates strategies for digital data capture, improved methods, recent legislation and more affordable technologies for surveying and photography. The Archaeologist's Field Handbook remains the ultimate resource for consultants, teachers, students, community groups and anyone involved in heritage fieldwork.

'An essential aid for beginners and professionals.' - Emeritus Professor John Mulvaney

'This volume has become the standard for archaeological field training ... A must for students, professionals and community groups.' - Martin Gibbs, Professor of Archaeology, University of New England

'It is absolutely the 'go to' field manual for archaeologists whatever their level within the profession.' - Jane Balme, Associate Professor of Archaeology, University of Western Australia

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents
• Figures and Tables
• About the Authors
• Preface
• Acknowledgements
• Chapter One: The Context of Archaeological Fieldwork
• Chapter Two: Designing Your Project
• Chapter Three: Maps and Navigation
• Chapter Four: Recording Landscapes
• Chapter Five: Recording Sites
• Chapter Six: Archaeological Surveying
• Chapter Seven: Principles of Archaeological Photography
• Chapter Eight: Surface Collection and Excavation
• Chapter Nine: Recording Artefacts
• Chapter Ten: Cultural Heritage Values and Significance
• References
• Appendix 1: The relationship between scale, measurement and the size of a feature on a drawn plan
• Appendix 2: Archaeological toolkits
• Appendix 3: Sample recording forms
• Appendix 4: Rim diameter chart for historic ceramics
• Appendix 5: Guides to dating common historical artefacts
• Appendix 6: Nic Grguric’s guide to dating firearms-related artefacts
• Appendix 7: Guidelines for producing technical reports
• Appendix 8: Guidelines for producing interpretive materials
• Index