Digging diary

The excavation diary is part of the documentation system for archaeological excavations .

During the excavation, the excavation manager keeps a diary in which all events related to the excavation are noted. In addition to sketches and drawings of the finds and findings, this also includes information on the technical framework conditions, such as weather conditions, use of large equipment or information on the measurement system and personnel. Events such as visitors, press reports or disturbances caused by robbery graves are also recorded .

The digging diary is written from the researcher's point of view. The excavator's ideas and interpretations flow into this. This differs from the rest of the excavation documentation, which was deliberately kept free of interpretation. For a better overview, a technical diary can be kept in addition to the diary of the excavation manager, which can consist of forms depending on the specifications of the responsible specialist offices. Here again, information about the weather, personnel deployment, working hours and excavation progress is recorded like a list. Together with the excavation report , the excavation diary forms the basis for a subsequent scientific publication.

When using the Rhenish position system , the excavation diary can be replaced in whole or in part by position 1.

The excavation diaries of well-known researchers can in turn become the subject of research.

literature

• Egon Gersbach u. a .: excavation today. Methods and techniques of field excavation . Theiss, Stuttgart 1998, p. 115f. ISBN 3-8062-1379-8 .
• Association of State Archaeologists : excavations and prospecting. Implementation and documentation . Revised new version from April 2006.