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Problem statement: Nowadays high levels of experience have been acquired in the excavation of horizontal tunnels using TBM, especially as far as tunnels with small diameters (about 4 m wide) are concerned. Less experience has been acquired in the excavation of tunnels under difficult alignment conditions, as in the case of steeply inclined excavations (up-hill tunnels). Approach: This study presented the results of studies which compare the production data collected for tunnels excavated with TBM in 'normal' conditions (horizontal tunnel), with those derived from steeply inclined excavations (up-hill tunnels). Results: From an examination of the results obtained in the studied cases a net difference appears evident in terms of productivity between horizontal and up-hill excavations. Conclusion: Such net difference between horizontal and up-hill excavation productions can be attributed to the greater burdens of times necessary for the supply of materials and personnel, the regripping operations with fall preventer systems and, in general, the greater difficulties of carrying out ordinary and extraordinary maintenance of the machines in particularly difficult altrimetric conditions. Key words: Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), up-hill tunnels, advancement velocity, productivity of the excavation system, INTRODUCTION As known, the productivity of an excavation system with full section machines, called Tunnel Boring Machines (TBM), is conditioned by a series of factors that reduce, sometimes quite drastically, [...]

The archaeological excavation that is being done to study the settlement patterns of ancient Mycenaean towns is discussed. The study could illuminate the social and economic life of this civilization.

Excavation within privies by arbitrary 10-cm (4 in.) levels is often a necessity because of time and space constraints. However, when archaeologists invest the extra effort to remove privy deposits by natural and cultural strata, they reap great benefits in terms of interpreting construction, use, and maintenance behaviors and in elucidating attitudes about hygiene and sanitation. This work outlines some of the advantages of reconstructing site formation processes (e.g., construction, use, maintenance, and abandonment) within privy shafts from sites in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. The author offers recommendations on how to excavate individual deposits using both the profile and the single-layer plan of the Harris matrix and 'side-access' excavation.

Comment is offered on the 'post-processual' approach to excavation in the field advocated in the September ANTIQUITY. It is with anticipation that one approaches Hodder's (1997) appeal for a 'reflexive' [...]

Frequently, only five percent or less of a midden site is excavated for environmental-analysis purposes before it is turned over to the bulldozers for destruction. Such exceptionally small sample sizes have become accepted in cultural-resource-management work as adequate for gaining a good understanding of the chronology and cultural activities at a site. This assumption was tested by the author with a 63 percent excavation sampling fraction from a southern California midden. The data indicate that a far-from-complete understanding of a site may result from small sampling fractions and that more carefully designed sampling strategies and statistical manipulation of the data may not overcome this problem., How much of a site must be excavated before it is adequately sampled for cultural-resource-mitigation purposes? Most archaeologists would be shocked at the naivete of such a query. Minimally, without [...]

Fine screening of archaeological materials is often too expensive or too time-consuming for large assemblages. Consequently, 1/4" has become a standard size of mesh used among North American archaeologists. Unfortunately, the effects of 1/4" screening on bone recovery and the biases in interpretations are poorly documented. One-quarter-inch screening biases faunal recovery towards "larger" bone specimens, but previous studies fail to document biases in the recovery of specific taxa or elements. To better understand these biases, screening tests were conducted on 26 modern, comparative specimens. Results of these tests indicate that recovery and loss of specific elements for each taxon can be predicted. Mammals with live weights of less than 140 g are almost completely lost by 1/4" screening. Specimens weighing from 71 to 340 g are poorly represented, while specimens weighing from 340 to 3,100 g are represented by most elements except foot bones. Taxa greater than 4,500 g are represented by most elements. El tamizado fino de materiales arqueologicos es a menudo excesivamente costoso o consume demasiado tiempo en el caso de grandes conjuntos. Como resultado, el uso de zarandas de 1/4" se ha convertido en practica corriente entre arqueologos norteamericanos. Desgraciadamente, los efectos del tamizado con zarandas de 1/4" sobre la recuperacion de huesos y los resultantes sesgos en la interpretacion han sido escasamente documentados. A pesar de que el uso de este procedimineto distorsiona la recuperacion de fauna en favor de huesos de mayor tamano, previos estudios no documentan sesgos en la recuperacion de taxones o elementos especificos. Con el proposito de comprender mejor estos sesgos, se realizaron pruebas de tamizado con 26 especimenes modernos comparativos. Los resultados de estas pruebas indican que es posible predecir la recuperacion y perdida de elementos especificos para cada taxon. Mamiferos con peso en vida menor que 140 g se pierden casi por completo al tamizar con 1/4". Especimenes que pesan entre 71 y 340 g se encuentran pobremente representados, en tanto que aquellos con peso entre 340 y 3.100 g estan representados por la mayoria de los elementos, excepto los huesos del pie. Casi todos los elementos se encuentran presentes en taxones mayores que 4.500 g.

Sugar reflotation of matrix containing materials of archaeological interest appears to be an inexpensive, safe, reliable method for recovering botanical remains. Using high concentrations of sugar to raise specific gravity of water to make flotation possible for botanical recovery will saturate materials with sugar. That might damage the materials or attract potentially damaging pests. Samples processed using the method should be treated to remove sugar before they are curated, adding to expense and taking time.

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.forsciint.2008.10.013 Byline: Alastair Ruffell, Colm Donnelly, Naomi Carver, Eileen Murphy, Emily Murray, James McCambridge Keywords: Forensic science; Clandestine burials; Victim recovery dogs; Ground-penetrating radar; Forensic excavation Abstract: Geographic location, time of reporting and need for rapid evaluation contributed to a lack of intelligence concerning a suspect burial site in scrub woodland ([approximately equal to]15km from the last known location of a missing person) in Northern Ireland. Police received reports of a subsiding 'grave', which was evaluated positively using GPR and victim recovery dogs (VRD). After 24h work, archaeological excavation showed a vertical-sided, stepped excavation on undisturbed clay with no inhumation. Subsequent research showed the feature to be an engineering trial pit. The GPR response was a water table and rocks, VRD were possibly reacting to disturbed ground. The work serves as a demonstration of good archaeological practice in suspect burial excavation, following a lack of landscape evaluation and poor overall intelligence. Author Affiliation: School of Geography, Archaeology & Palaeoecology, Queen's University Belfast, BT7 1NN Northern Ireland, UK Article History: Received 21 February 2008; Revised 26 September 2008; Accepted 20 October 2008

George Pullman built a planned community for his employees but an economic depression forced Pullman to layoff a third of his workers which led to a strike. Pullman refused a settlement and his hard line turned public opinion against him. He was later forced to sell a portion of the town by the Illinois Supreme Court. The archaeological work done on the site of the community is described.

Ethnoarchaeology allows archaeologists to determine impact of agricultural activities in areas which still use traditional farming on the nature of crops by analyzing the composition of seed assemblages. The technique is complex and requires an analysis of the processes used in irrigation, weeding and crop processing. Ethnoarchaeological results are combined with statistical tools to determine the nature of samples before interpreting them in relation to the diet.

Plants remains, classified either as macroremains or microremains, provide archaeobotanists materials for studying historical sites and events. The most popular technique for preparing macroremains is charring, where seeds, wood or other plant remains are burned to produce ash. The portion which does not burn end up charred is used for analyzing the DNA and lipid content of plants. Microremains are analyzed using the plants' pollen grains and provide a measure of vegetation on a regional scale. Another method used is pytolith analysis, which uses silica bodies from soils to determine soil micromorphology and detailed histories of plant deposits.

The techniques employed by Wilhelmina Feemster Jashemski during her excavation at the Vesuvian sites in Pompeii, Rome, enabled her to discover and catalog the contents of numerous Roman vineyards and gardens that were overlooked by previous archaeologists. She and her husband Stanley were the first to use scientific methods to identify, classify and reconstruct remains in the Roman gardens. Her archaeological techniques, which included microscopic analysis of organic remains and use of hot air balloons to photograph soil contours, have helped develop neglected sites at Pompeii.