Darby Stapp and Julia Longenecker's new book from Left Coast Press called Avoiding Archaeological Disasters: A Risk Management Approach, is an important book for construction project managers and for the archaeologists they hire.
An archaeological disaster, as defined in this book, is when an ongoing construction project discovers the remains of an intact archaeological site, and because of poor planning, poor communication, and/or mismanagement, all hell breaks loose. The costs of an archaeological disaster include but are not limited to the destruction of the site, disapproval if not outright outrage of some portion of the public, and the monetary costs associated with the stoppage of construction, all familiar aspects to anyone who pays attention to the news. And let's face it, the news stories are flatly awful.
Cultural Resource Management
Most archaeological research in the United States and, indeed, most of the west, is conducted in advance of construction projects. For example, in the United States, if a construction project has federal funds involved in it, federal law requires the construction company to pay for the conduct of archaeological (and environmental) research in advance to protect those resources. That research is intended to forestall any archaeological (and of course environmental) disasters that might befall the project. Research conducted in advance of federally or state funded projects is called heritage management in the UK and cultural resource management in the US.
- Read more about Cultural Resource Management
Case Studies in Archaeology Disasters
Recent archaeological disasters presented as case studies in the book include the Blaine Wastewater Treatment Facility expansion project and the Port Angeles Graving Dock (both Washington State), the African Burial Ground (New York City), the White Swan Boat Launch (Nebraska) and the Manhattan Project Landfill (Washington State). These projects cost the construction companies millions of dollars, caused public relations nightmares, and not least of all outraged the communities whose ancestors occupied the archaeological sites. Some of the cases occurred because the project manager was unaware of his or her responsibilities; some occurred because the project manager tried to push those responsibilities off onto the archaeologist. In some cases the archaeologist did his best but the project manager ignored his recommendations; in others the archaeologist failed to do due diligence.
Although you can never know for sure what archaeological resources lay beneath your proposed parking ramp, with proper planning you can have a very good idea and you can be prepared to deal with any inadvertent discoveries that may occur. As with similar environmental disasters, Stapp and Longenecker believe that most archaeological disasters can be avoided, if the project manager has the foresight to hire a cultural resource manager she can trust, is willing to listen to what the CRM has to say, and has the background, as outlined in this book, to provide oversight of the cultural resource manager she has selected.
A construction manager does not have to be an archaeologist or become expert in the field—that's why they make specialists. But she needs to know enough about the aspects to know when the CRM is getting it right, and enough smarts to listen to the CRM when he is providing news she might not want to hear.
Contents of Archaeological Disasters
Chapters in the book include an introduction, including a baseline explanation of what makes up an archaeological site. Chapter 2 is a detailed summary of the Blaine Wastewater Treatment Plant and Port Angeles Graving Dock disasters. Chapter 3 provides steps for the project manager to take during early project planning and includes an introduction to regulatory requirements. Chapter 4 lists implementation procedures to reduce risks and Chapter 5 provides a risk matrix. Chapter 6 includes three more case studies; and Chapter 7 is a discussion of the regulatory and cultural aspects of dealing with human burials.
The final chapter includes nine principles for avoiding archaeological disasters, and they're worth repeating:
- Actively manage the archaeological resource component
- Get qualified heritage expertise
- Learn the regulatory requirements
- Consult with interested parties early and often
- Do thorough background research
- Incorporate archaeological risk into decision making
- Do no harm
- Be prepared for human remains
- Be honest and open throughout the process
Also included are four appendices: World Bank Guidance, Professional Archaeological Organizations, Selected Ethical Codes from Heritage Management Associations, and a Global Guide to Heritage Management; and a glossary, bibliography and index.
Bottom Line
Avoiding Archaeological Disasters looks to be a quite useful tool for construction project managers to get a sane handle on what could happen, to get the spadework done before the construction starts, and to be prepared for unavoidable eventualities. Further, it might also be a useful book for cultural resource managers who work with construction managers, to be able to assist in their decisions.
More Resources
- Avoiding Archaeological Disasters, Left Coast Press
- Avoiding Archaeological Disasters, Price Grabber
- Indigenous Archaeology: Cultural Resource Management by Native Americans, an interview with Darby Stapp and Julia Longenecker
- Preventing Archaeological Disasters an article by Stapp and Longenecker
Full disclosure: Left Coast Press is publishing a book from me in the winter of 2009.
