ABSTRACT
Excavations of prehistoric sites in Britain are the choice and responsibility of government agencies, national and local archaeological societies and museums, training colleges, university departments of archaeology and student societies, and purely private individuals (p. 243). Their depth of commitment depends on the interest of the particular site, the inclination of the archaeologists concerned, and the financial and other support available. Excavations are not generally simple operations, and the initiation of one is not merely an ad hoc decision on the part of an individual. No excavation, on whatever scale, should be attempted unless all of the known archaeological problems have been considered, and an approach to the answers suggested. The problems are not purely ‘excavational’, but include also legal matters as well as those of financial and staff support.
