ABSTRACT
The term industrial archaeology is still widely used in the UK and the US, but the topic is now more commonly called Industrial Heritage Studies, industriekultur, patrimonio industrial in international contexts, reflecting the expansion of coverage to include much more than traditional archaeology. Archaeological insights may be the only avenue of exploration to answer critical questions, both in specific circumstances and about more general, abstract and comparative matters about the process of industrialization. This chapter discusses the practice of industrial archaeology in the more narrow sense of the term, focused on excavation and archaeological analysis as a critical set of methods and perspectives for illuminating industrial sites, structures, landscapes and processes. A water-powered mill with specialized equipment was a completely new discovery, and the perspective offered through a combination of archaeological excavation and analysis with an understanding of milling supported through the industrial archaeology literature allowed for a richer interpretation of this critical facility.
