ABSTRACT
Interpretive drawings, from excavation plans to maps of landscapes, are fundamental to archaeological field practice. These created objects are portable translations of on-site experiences and engagements; they can be reproduced countless times and in many different locations. As these objects enter wide networks of relations they have an increased potential to have meaningful impacts on archaeological knowledge. It is, therefore, important for these objects to be accountable to the experiences and engagements they represent. But how accountable are they? This chapter will attempt to address this question by critically exploring the process and products of one type of interpretive mapping: earthwork survey. By considering earthwork survey as a craft, this paper will examine how experiences in the field are, and, importantly have further potential to be, communicated through the translation process.
