ABSTRACT
Applying archaeological methods to sites and buildings of recent date is nothing new. Archaeological methods have also previously been applied to Cold War sites and landscape. This chapter examines the degree to which these methods are novel, and the extent to which, through their innovation, they shed new light on a previously underexplored aspect of Cold War heritage: signals intelligence. It examines what is new about the study of the Teufelsberg; how innovative is it; and whether it provides a blueprint for the archaeological study of other comparable ‘secret’ installations. The Teufelsberg is a rare and perhaps unique example of a significant Cold War intelligence-gathering installation which is both known and accessible. The site was stripped after the end of the Cold War, to prevent others from obtaining information about the allies’ capacity for information gathering.
