The East Terrace Site
Excavation

Before beginning your excavation, you read reports from previous work at the site to find where and at what depth artifacts were found. This earlier work determined the limits of the site by digging small test pits at regular intervals over the whole area.

You begin by setting up a square grid aligned on a north-south axis. Stakes are placed every five meters. The grid helps keep track of where every artifact was found. You will excavate 1 x 1 meter (approximately 3 x 3 foot) units in five centimeter (2 inch) layers. You shovel the dirt from each layer into large screens and spray the screen with water until all that is left are clean artifacts. The artifacts are then placed in a bag with the name of the site, unit, and layer on it.

By digging in five centimeter layers, you create a record of the vertical position of the artifacts you find. Barring disturbance of the soil, artifacts that were lost or discarded first should be buried the deepest. This vertical control will allow you to compare and analyze the materials found in different levels. Since the levels probably represent sequential time periods, they let you study the history of the site.

When a stone tool or a concentration of waste flakes is found, you direct your excavations to that part of the site. Field work is an interactive process. Since it is nearly impossible to correctly anticipate what is buried beneath the surface, excavation strategies need to be flexible. They have to adjust to new information that becomes available each day as new units are excavated.