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Excavation & Dating
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Planning an excavation
  Before an excavation can take place, archaeologists must produce a project plan, setting out the aims of the excavation and the methods to be used, and receive permission to carry it out.
Desk-top survey
  Before an excavation is started, archaeologists read any documents, literature or previous excavation reports which relate to the site. They also examine maps, plans, photographs and any other visual records available, such as old engravings or watercolour paintings.
Field survey
  Geophysical survey of a Roman fort in GermanyWhen all the available information has been studied, the archaeologists plan a field survey, which may involve walking over the site and its adjoining area, aerial photography, geophysical surveys, and field-walking (walking along grid-lines on the site, collecting surface finds and recording their position). This survey helps to pinpoint the best place for any excavation.
Excavation
  An accurate plan is drawn and marked on the site, so that all finds can be recorded as they are uncovered. The most important excavation tool is the trowel, but picks, brushes and other implements are also used. Loose finds are collected and marked to show where they came from. Fragile finds are conserved to prevent their deterioration.

Written records, measurements, photographs, drawings and GIS (Geographic Information Systems) can be made to produce as complete a record as possible. Excavations are recorded horizontally (in plan) and vertically.

Drawings of the vertical sides of trenches (sections) are very important as they show layers of remains (stratigraphy) over time.
 
 
Post-excavation
  After the excavation is complete, the site is often covered, either by replacing the soil removed earlier (backfilling), or by new developments. Loose finds are examined by specialists, and most are recorded individually on a database. Environmental evidence, such as soil samples, is analysed.

All the finds on the site, whether structures or loose finds, are examined and discussed, leading to interpretations of the data. Sometimes these are inconclusive, and lead to more questions than answers!

Then the excavation report is written and published. Post-excavation work takes much longer to complete than the excavation itself, but is an essential part of any archaeological project.
 
 
Dating techniques
  Archaeologists try to date their finds so that they can put them into a chronological sequence. Sometimes artefacts can be dated by their style, or have writing or dates on them. The position (context) of finds in the soil relative to other finds may help date them.
  There are other scientific techniques used to help date finds. These include Carbon 14 (radiocarbon) dating for organic finds, tree-ring dating (dendrochronology), magnetic dating (for kilns and ovens) and thermoluminescence (for pottery).
 
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