15th October 2012, 08:20 AM
I have always worked on the less disturbance the better. The EH guidelines are a bit lacking in clear examples and I have had interesting discussions with curators who have different interpretations of the wording . I have partially exposed burials in trenches-record what is exposed and, if threatened by pipe works for example, I lift the exposed bones and replace them against the trench wall so they remain in the place where the body was intured. In section, I would just record what is visible, if bits fall out I would place them close to where they originate from. There never seems to be a point in part lifting human remains (EH does allow for a small amount of bone to be removed for dating,DNA). Full excavation can open a can of worms (no pun intended) if more burials are overlying or cutting the remains.