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Coring and the Identity of Cultural-Resource Environments: A Comment on Stein

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

Joseph Schuldenrein*
Affiliation:
Geoarcheology Research Associates, Riverdale, NY 10471

Abstract

Stein (1986) presents a very timely contribution on the history and utility of archaeological site coring that has major implications for the detection and retrieval of subsurface archaeological data. My purpose in this comment is threefold. First, I would extend her history of coring to include three periods instead of two. More importantly, in so doing, I would stress the need to modify Stein's observations to cultural-resource-management (CRM) settings. This would expand the applications of subsurface probing to broader sets of sedimentary environments and site contexts, specifically those where preservation conditions are less than ideal. Finally, I propose a versatile coring strategy that is amenable to both research and applied cultural-resource-management (CRM) situations in a cost-efficient manner.

Résumé

Résumé

Stein (1986) presenta una oportuna contribución a la historia y a la utilidad de la perforación de sitios arqueológicos, la cual tiene importantes implicaciones para la detección y recuperación de información arqueológica en el subsuelo. Tengo tres comentarios sobre esta contribución. En primer lugar yo extendería su historia sobre perforación e incluiría tres períodos en lugar de dos. Lo que es más importante, en esta extensión yo enfatizaría la necesidad de modificar las observaciones de Stein acerca de los escenarios de rescate arqueológico (CRM). Esta modificación extendería las aplicaciones del sondeo de subsuelo a un mayor número de ambientes sedimentológicos y contextos de sitio, especificamente aquéllos que presentan condiciones de preservación deficientes. Finalmente, yo propongo una estrategia de sondeo o perforación versátil y bajo costo, la cual es aprópiada para investigaciones arqueológicas tanto como de rescate (CRM).

Type
Comments
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1991

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References

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