6th September 2011, 08:38 PM
good points TiM-s : although i feel the need to point out (again) that primary fieldwork (especially commercial) is not part of the Experimental Sciences, but rather part of the older Naturalistic Sciences....minute observation, description, and cataloguing are the essential tasks. > observation of nature > > in extremis, one can not truly devise a sampling strategy until the site is excavated and interpreted....
Since observational data and specimen collection are at the heart of excavation orientated archaeology (rather than abstract theory testing), and the natural condition (or sample population) is unknown, there must always be large amounts of redundant data.
that is not a problem. that is how observational sciences work. >> as others have said the problem lies with people in positions to enforce 'standards', who are too under-resourced, or too ignorant, or simply too corrupt to do their jobs properly
Since observational data and specimen collection are at the heart of excavation orientated archaeology (rather than abstract theory testing), and the natural condition (or sample population) is unknown, there must always be large amounts of redundant data.
that is not a problem. that is how observational sciences work. >> as others have said the problem lies with people in positions to enforce 'standards', who are too under-resourced, or too ignorant, or simply too corrupt to do their jobs properly