Archeological Survey: Methods and Uses

To non-archeologists, one of the deeper "mysteries" of the historic preservation program seems to concern the methods of identification and assessment of archeological properties and utilization of this information in project planning and compliance processes. Misunderstanding and misinformation about these activities are very common. To clarify some of these questions, Dr. Thomas F. King prepared a manual on the methods and objectives of archeological survey that would in large part be addressed to non-archeologists so that they might gain a greater understanding of the nature of archeological resources. Particularly valuable in Dr. King's discussion is his description of the formation of the
archeological record in a hypothetical locality, and then, how this record might have come to be known to archeologists today through various kinds of survey efforts. This is an excellent description of how the archeological record actually has become known in many areas of the United States. Through this means, the reader should gain an understanding of what "existing survey data" enable us to conclude; or, better stated, what they do not permit us to conclude about the
archeological resources of an area.