ABSTRACT
It must never be assumed that excavation is an essential part of any archaeological fieldwork. Indeed, if the questions under investigation can be answered using the battery of non-destructive techniques now available to archaeologists (Chapter Three), then excavation should not be considered. The archaeological resource in the field is finite and diminishing. Each excavation reduces this resource. The excavation of sites about to be destroyed for non-archaeological reasons, like building development, can usually be justified on archaeological grounds if all attempts at preservation have failed. If, however, the site is not under threat, the value of excavation in increasing knowledge must be carefully considered.
