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hidden below ground, and LIDAR, which uses lasers to scan the surface from the air
through vegetation.
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Excavation: After archaeologists have thoroughly surveyed the site, they begin
excavation. They start by setting up a grid and connecting the grid to a datum.It
meansextraction of material by digging, layer by layer and keeping all the materialsfrom
each deposit as a separate group. The procedure is to peel off thesuccessive strata, a
conformity with their bed lines ensuring the accurateisolation of structural phases and
relevant artifacts. The excavation shouldproceed in precisely the reverse order of
deposition i.e. the last laid depositmust be removed first and the earlier ones
successively until the natural soilis reached.Then archaeologists excavate the site using
trowels, shovels, and various other tools. They carefully remove dirt and note the precise
location of any artifacts found. The context of the artifact is just as important as the
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artifact itself, so the artifacts are always carefully mapped and documented.
In excavation, the first step is, the excavator should first decide where thetrench should
be laid. The layout of the trench by peg marking is an importantfirst step in the
excavation. After a detailed study and observation, theexcavator will decide where the
trench will be laid. Normally, the highestpoint or the most elevated part of the site
would be preferable as it wouldgive the maximum accumulation of the occupational
strata from the earliestto the latest or the phases of its layers.
Different strategies and methods have to be adopted in the excavationdepending upon
the aim, the area, and the time available for excavation. Anaccurately laid out trench
system is essential for precise record as all artifactsand structures found in the
excavation are described according to their positionwithin the trenches. Different types
of layouts are described below:
Vertical excavation: Excavating a significant depth of deposits in order to expose the
record of a sequence of artifacts. Analyzes the seqence of deposits (Stratigraphy) of the
site accoriding to the Law of Superposition in geology.Generally, in this system a
rectangular trench of 10x8 or 30x20 feet may belaid outlined with two parallel rows of
one meter. The pegs on one side maybe numbered as 0, I, II, III, IV, and so on whereas
the corresponding pegson the other side would be as 0’, I’, II’, III’, IV’. If in the course of
excavation, it is felt necessary to extend the trench backward from zero, the pegs of
theextended sides can be marked A, B, C, D, on the side and A’, B’, C’ D’ onthe other
side.
The actual excavation should be done about 50 cm, inside the peg line onall sides. In
fact, the actual area to be excavated should be marked with thestring lines all around.
Digging should not extend up to the peg line, butshould stop within the cutting line.
This is done in order to keep the pegsand the peg line undisturbed throughout
excavation.Another important feature in this method is to leave a number of
intermediarybaulks (unexcavated strips of partitions) at regular intervals after every
threemeters. This helps having proper control over the digging and correlating
thesections besides facilitating access to different parts of the trench for thesupervisors

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