Historic Archaeology
One of AECOM Burlington’s core services is the identification and treatment of historic-period archaeological sites, dating from early European contact with the New World to the recent past. AECOM’s staff includes senior archaeologists with advanced degrees in historical archaeology who have experience in the study of sites in rural, urban, and suburban settings, as well as in the analysis of their documentary records and material remains. Our fully equipped laboratory in Burlington, New Jersey, has processed and analyzed more than 1,000,000 historic-period artifacts, most of which are the everyday objects of domestic life—ceramics, glass bottles, buttons, children’s toys—left behind or discarded by a site’s former occupants.
AECOM historical archaeologists marshal a number of resources to identify, investigate, and interpret historic-period sites. Traditional methods include detailed historical research, stratigraphic analysis, and artifact studies. Our historians have years of experience working with records in the Mid-Atlantic states and beyond, and are as skilled at documenting property-specific histories as they are at building historical contexts for large-scale projects. Principal investigators use methods for stratigraphic analysis similar to those used by Old World archaeologists studying the most complex sites. And AECOM laboratory staff includes specialists in the analysis of glass, ceramics, bone, and seeds.
AECOM archaeologists have also adopted less traditional methods to increase efficiency. We employ GIS-based project planning that includes detailed analysis of historical mapping to identify areas potentially sensitive for historic-period resources, and we use GPS mapping in the field to locate sensitive areas and map findings. AECOM has also developed high-tech approaches to site interpretation—including web-based reporting and three-dimensional laser scanning—to record, interpret, and curate objects both small and large, from building remains on important historic-period sites to unique objects, such as figurines.
Our staff has extensive experience with federal, state, and municipal preservation laws and guidelines, and is keenly familiar with the compliance issues facing our clients in regard to historic-period archaeological resources. Working with both public and private clients, AECOM has investigated numerous archaeological sites dating to the historic period over the past 25 years. These range from farmsteads, rural dwellings, taverns, and plantations, to urban residences and public buildings, to military sites and battlefields, to industrial and waterpower facilities. Among our many satisfied clients are the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, the National Park Service, the New Jersey Department of Transportation, the New York Metropolitan Transit Authority, the National Capital Parks and Planning Commission, and Historic St. Mary’s City.
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