Excavator Bias at the Site of Pech de l'Azé IV, France

Existing archaeological collections hold great potential for archaeologists who seek to answer specific research questions with minimal investment of time and money. Unfortunately, biases introduced in the field and during curation require us to evaluate and reorganize collections before and during...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of field archaeology 2005, Vol.30 (3), p.317-328
Main Authors: Dibble, Harold L., Raczek, Teresa P., McPherron, Shannon P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Archaeological excavation
Archaeological sites
Archaeological surveys
Archaeology
Bibliography
Europe
Excavations
Field archaeology
France
Generalities
Material culture
Organisation and history of research
Palaeolithic and mesolithic
Paleoanthropology
Prehistory and protohistory
Research biases
Sediments
Special Studies
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Summary:Existing archaeological collections hold great potential for archaeologists who seek to answer specific research questions with minimal investment of time and money. Unfortunately, biases introduced in the field and during curation require us to evaluate and reorganize collections before and during analysis. Biases are reflected in collections as a result of research design, recovery methods, interpersonal variability, and the storage of both objects and documentation. By comparing collections from two different excavations at the Middle Paleolithic site of Pech de l'Azé IV, France, a number of biases in the older collection were identified and corrected. While all older collections are not affected by the same problems, our experience serves as a useful example to others who work with them.
ISSN:0093-4690
2042-4582
DOI:10.1179/009346905791072242