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5.4.2. Surveys types: Prospection, Statistical, and Spatial Structure

The principal goal of the survey work was to document archaeological distributions in source area and adjacent terrain. Banning (2002) describes the goals of archaeological survey in terms of three principal types of survey that emphasize different research goals.

Type

Prospection / Purposive

Statistical

Spatial Structure

Application

For findingarchaeological sites.

For estimating population parameters, evaluating probabilistic hypotheses and constructing locational models.

For detecting spatial patterns such as settlement lattices, travel routes. Also good for documenting continuous phenomena.

Implementation

Prioritize the locating of sites by incorporating background information, predictive models, and remote sensing.

Sampling strategies for documenting artifact density, diversity, and site types within stratified samples or numerical samples.

"Total coverage" or nonsite survey to identify spatial interrelationships that might be missed by sampling approaches.

Table 5-3. Types of archaeological survey described by Banning(2002: 27-38).

Banning makes the point that while sampling is a common approach to archaeological survey, sampling is actually a poor method for prospecting for sites or for characterizing settlement lattices because major clues can fall outside of the sampling window. Each method has specific strengths and weaknesses, and often archaeological surveys are a mixture of several types.