3.2 Test Pits and Trial Excavation

The final step before full excavation is carrying out test pits and trial trenches, targeting specific parts of a site that are highlighted during the DBA and survey stages.

Test Pits

Test pits involve excavating numerous small, controlled, sections of a site. This usually follows some regular measurement, such as 0.5 meters wide, 0.5 meters long, and 0.5 meters deep. The purpose of this method is to understand a transect of the site, to reveal both archaeological contexts as well as a representation of the material culture present. Test pits are quick, cheap, and effective ways to investigate what is on a site without taking too much time or destroying too much.

A particular boon is that they give a direct representation of the site and archaeological assemblage without needing to commit to a full excavation. This makes them particularly valuable on research excavations or in lieu of other methods, as you can efficiently target areas with a higher density of archaeological features and material. They are less often employed in commercial archaeologyArchaeological work conducted by professional companies, often as part of the planning process before construction to preserve heritage., where excavation is often a required component before construction can begin to ensure that as little archaeological knowledge is lost as possible.

By combining test pits with aerial surveys and geophysical analysis, we can effectively target potentially informative areas of the site, without delving into particularly complex areas that will require extensive care and time to excavate. This will give us our first direct look under the ground, and provide an effective litmus test for the sort of site that will emerge.