9th February 2007, 05:25 PM
Vulpes - yes, you are right about 'vanilla' packages being easier to sell. The problem is that many landowners (local authorities and smaller private landowners) either cannot or do not want to stump up for the full cost of evaluation and / or excavation prior to agreement of land sale. In this event a usual response is to seek some clarity on the likely cost of archaeological work and this sum is knocked off the price of the land purchase (all part of 'due diligence' on behalf of the purchaser). In the event of the cost of dealing with the archaeology being substantially less or more than the rate assumed in the purchase agreement, an additional clause will include a pain/gain mechanism by which this is balanced out, and can even be covered by a separate insurance policy (or in the case of the archaeological advice being grossly negligent, costs can be recovered through the professional indemnity insurance of the advisor).
As a more general response to this thread I think that it can be right in some cases to deviate from the ideal in terms of excavation methodology, especially for large excavations in urban areas (didn't Biddle address this very issue as part of his opening address at the IFA Conference in Wichester - text available as a download from IFA)? I know of at least one historic town where the modern and later post-med material is routinely removed by machine on the grounds that the detailed documentary and cartographic sources mean that there is little to be gained from detailed excavation and resources should therefore be concentrated on the medieval and early post-med remains.
Beamo
As a more general response to this thread I think that it can be right in some cases to deviate from the ideal in terms of excavation methodology, especially for large excavations in urban areas (didn't Biddle address this very issue as part of his opening address at the IFA Conference in Wichester - text available as a download from IFA)? I know of at least one historic town where the modern and later post-med material is routinely removed by machine on the grounds that the detailed documentary and cartographic sources mean that there is little to be gained from detailed excavation and resources should therefore be concentrated on the medieval and early post-med remains.
Beamo