The subject of the round table is a sensitive one, depending on the interest one represents. Based on my own work experience in South African heritage management in both national and provincial heritage bodies, I tackle this subject from the heritage authority's point of view. I will argue that archaeological sites should be left in situ or excavated only partially. When excavation is necessary, stringent procedures are to be put in place.
As an undergraduate and future archaeologist I was told that the amateurs and professionals who excavated in the past did not have the best excavation techniques and, as a result, were responsible for the destruction of valuable archaeological data. Many believe that our latest technological means and the questions we ask are far superior to those of previous generations. Some will even go further and argue that old archaeological material kept at various museums is more or less useless, since in most cases the context was destroyed during its collection. This has, in some instances, necessitated the re-excavation of sites.
The significance of excavation in archaeology has been further highlighted by the perception of the discipline amongst some sections of our society. In my experience, the discipline has become synonymous with excavation, even though this may not have been the case historically (Carver, this issue). A number of African people who have shown an interest in what I do as an archaeologist routinely equate archaeology with excavation. This, I have found, is because of the media coverage that the Sterkfontein Caves – the cradle of humankind – have received over the years.
While excavation and archaeology have become synonymous, the question ‘why excavate?’ is still very relevant. In tackling that question, I propose that we not limit ourselves to the abstract value of the excavation process (Demoule, this issue; Kolen, this issue), but include in the discussion the whole chain of events that follows once the fieldwork has been completed. Furthermore, the environment in which the excavation takes place – academic or commercial – needs to be taken into account. The following five factors may be seen as having an important impact on present-day South African archaeological practice:
1. In the last two decades, but especially in the last 10 years, the role of commercial archaeology has grown in South Africa. This growth has been encouraged by a legal obligation to carry out impact assessments when particular kinds of development are planned. This has grown from strength to strength over time. Cultural resource management (CRM) firms have proved to be significant employers for archaeologists, as jobs in academia are limited. Based on my own experience, I argue that since commercially driven archaeologists have to create jobs for themselves, they tend to recommend a lot more excavations than necessary, which leads to museums accumulating the same kind of material over and over again.
2. The quality of excavation techniques used in the CRM sector and the lack of publications have been seriously criticized by those in the academic arena. These flaws may be explained by the speed at which excavations are conducted in the commercial sector and the nature of the business of having to run from one project to another. Commercial archaeologists are happy to fulfil administrative requirements set by heritage authorities to get the archaeological permit, but not so happy to ensure that post-excavation requirements are properly met too, i.e. submitting permit reports. Other areas of concern relate to the training and experience of those active in commercial archaeology.
3. Through commercial archaeology, museums around the world are fast accumulating many more artefacts and a number of problems arise with this scenario. How different from what we already have are the archaeological data we are accumulating? If we continue digging up the country for economic reasons relating to our own security of employment, we are running the risk of having a shortage of space and of having the same archaeological record dug up all the time. It is of even more concern when the archaeological material excavated and taking up space at the museum almost never forms part of any further study. The Western Cape Province is already facing this challenge and no solution has yet been found.
4. We often argue that the need for commercial archaeology arises because known archaeological sites are threatened by development. I argue that, in South Africa at least, we are not proactive enough in our efforts to safeguard sites, and have a culture of keeping the locality of archaeological sites secret, thinking this the best way to protect them. It would help, in my experience, if developers knew in advance just how archaeologically significant an area is, as opposed to the current practice.
5. A number of archaeologists I have come to know have made legacies in the discipline by being attached to particular archaeological sites they have excavated for many years. Through such actions, they create personal histories in the discipline and come to ‘own’ those particular sites they have excavated.
From the above, a number of issues can be identified, ranging from the value of excavation in mitigating the destruction faced by archaeological sites to the number of challenges the process of excavation has brought to the discipline of archaeology. These challenges cannot just be ignored because of the role excavation plays in our inquiries of the past. While I would not advocate a total ban on the excavation of archaeological sites, whether for commercial or academic purposes, I would like to see that stringent procedures are put in place to reduce the unnecessary proliferation of archaeological excavations. As the best alternative, archaeological sites should be left in situ or excavated only partially. Leaving some archaeological record in situ enables future researchers to ask a different set of questions that may interest them, and they may have different and advanced excavation techniques. Digging up everything, compelled by commercial operations, and filling up museums is not helping our discipline.
