Archaeological sites of the Eastern United States and Caribbean range in age from the pre-Paleoindian period (circa 15,000 years ago) through historic sites of the mid-twentieth century (the National Register of Historic Places considers all resources that are 50 years in age or older to be “historic”). Archaeological studies are normally conducted in phases:
• Phase I survey to determine what sites have been recorded and to identify un-recorded sites in the project area;
• Phase II site testing to evaluate the National Register of Historic Places eligibility of some sites;
• Phase III data recovery excavation when eligible sites are found that cannot be avoided and preserved in place;
• Laboratory analysis of the recovered artifacts from all three phases and their preparation for curation; and
• Reporting of project results and recommendations.
In areas that are inaccessible for survey where archaeological resources are suspected, such as beneath existing buildings to be demolished, monitoring may be required to observe on-going demolition and quickly recover archaeological remains as they are exposed. New South Associates also conducts archaeological reconnaissance during the due diligence phase of planning and development to determine the potential for archaeological resources on a particular tract or to assess the potential effects of various alternatives on cultural resources. Finally, we employ geophysical technologies to target our excavations and to assess the potential of an area to contain significant deposits.