Recovering the past sometimes requires moving earth. Excavation is the controlled digging of an archaeological site to uncover, record, and interpret material remains in their stratigraphic context. Precision matters more than speed.

Teams lay out grids, remove soil layer by layer, and document the position of every artifact and feature. Photography, drawing, and increasingly digital recording capture information that the act of digging itself destroys. Specialist analyses follow in the laboratory.

Excavation is inherently destructive; a site can be dug only once. Ethical practice therefore demands thorough publication and, where possible, preservation of portions of the site untouched. Community involvement and clear research questions help ensure that the knowledge gained justifies the intervention.

• Systematic digging of archaeological sites
• Records context as well as objects
• Destructive and therefore carefully controlled
• Followed by analysis and publication