Reconstruction of the Destruction of Archaeological Sites: Why Is There a Paleo Point Here?

Reconstruction of the Destruction of Archaeological Sites: Why Is There a Paleo Point Here?

Presenter(s)

Maranda Almy Kles, Ph.D., RPA, Archaeological Consultants Inc.

Course Description

Archaeological sites are often impacted by natural events and human activities, long before they are “identified” by an archaeologist. Taphonomy describes the results of natural impacts, but often sites impacted by human activities are written off as “destroyed”. This can result in misidentification or misinterpretation of sites, which can lead to misunderstandings about site significance, regulatory requirements, and possibly overlooking descendant community concerns. These issues can become particularly important when human remains are identified in a site or when trying to assess the significance/integrity of a small portion of a much larger archaeological site. Forensic taphonomy focuses on recovering evidence to help location and reconstruct the scene of the crime, in this case the destruction of an archaeological site! Archaeologists need to apply similar skills when looking at human impacted sites- is this site in situ or redeposited? Can the original site location or site structure be found or reconstructed? How do we interpret these findings within a larger site or when examining similar sites? This seminar will examine several “case studies” looking at human impacts including bulldozing, grading, dredging, and soil redistribution to examine how to account for the human impacts that have transformed a site. At the end archaeologists should have a better understanding of how to read these impacts and how to use that information to interpret findings, evaluate sites, and provide recommendations, as well as ensure the consideration of descendant community concerns.

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