In other places, the remains of human occupation are buried or embedded in the ground. Traces of earlier occupation may lie under parking lots, buildings, or plowed fields. With Native American sites, in particular, the archaeological remains themselves are subtle, consisting of stone tools, ceramics and bone, or even mere soil stains resulting from past activities. Many sites are invisible from the surface and are only discovered through an archaeological survey, including excavation of test pits.
Archaeological sites frequently occur in places valuable for other open space qualities. In particular, areas of high ecological diversity with important natural resources were particularly attractive to populations living off the land. Archaeologists and land conservationists share a mutual interest in properties valued for their ecological assets.
Both archaeologists and land trusts are readily available to help landowners develop alternatives for the preservation of archaeological lands. Archaeologists can provide information on the probably location of sites and give landowners a sense of the relative value of their archaeological resources. Land trusts, private charitable conservation organizations, can provide reliable information on various options to conserve land.
National Register of Historic Places. If an archaeological sites meets criteria for significance and integrity, the property can be listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the nation's list of historic properties worthy of preservation. While such listing does not restrict a private landowner's uses of the site, it does trigger a review of any federal or state projects that might affect the site.
Preservation and Conservation Restrictions. Landowners who desire to protect their sites permanently may donate a Preservation Conservation Restriction on the site to a land trust or historical organization. These restrictions are perpetual legal agreements recorded with the deed for the property; they extinguish or limit development rights that would otherwise harm the archaeological site. The landowner continues to own the land, but the holder of the restriction has the legal right and responsibility to enforce the restriction and protect the site. The donation of a Preservation Conservation Restriction to a qualified organization is considered a charitable gift, and may result in income tax, estate tax, or property tax savings for landowners and their heirs.
Gifts of Land. Landowners may also make an outright donation of an archaeological to a land trust or historical organization, placing the responsibility for managing the site on an organization better equipped to insure its safekeeping and wise use. Many groups, however, require that adequate provisions be made to defray management costs. A gift of land to a non-profit organization is a charitable donation, likely to result in tax savings.
Archaeological Excavation. Landowners may decide to preserve the information contained in the archaeological site by agreeing to a scientific excavation of the site. Landowners should be aware, however, that excavation is itself a destructive process. Once a site is excavated, it is gone forever. The site must be competently excavated the first time, because there will be no second chance. Scientific excavation is time and staff intensive, and may be prohibitively expensive.
Do maintain the site in its natural condition and protect it from inadvertent destruction.
Do keep permanent records on any finds, including noting as exact a horizontal and vertical location as possible.
Do deposit archaeological artifacts and collections with an appropriate museum or curatorial facility.
Do learn more about your site, and other nearby sites. Encourage scholarly research and interpret the prehistoric and historic assets of your property.
Do protect your site and ensure its survival for future generations by placing a preservation or conservation restriction on the site.
Do post the property against trespass and against destruction of natural and cultural resources.
Don't allow unqualified persons to "dig" the site. Report any unauthorized excavation -- "looting" -- to the State Archaeologist.
Don't construct buildings; place trails, picnic areas, or recreational areas; or conduct any earth moving or construction in the immediate vicinity of the site.
Don't mark the exact site location with signs. This invites vandalism and looting.
Archaeologists study the everyday lives of our forbears through the traces and artifacts they left behind. Archaeologists glimpse the record, not of the heroes of history, but of all peoples -- grand and ordinary. Archaeology describes and compares the different ways people have chosen to live in a changing world for the whole of human history. It provides us with a global perspective of our place within cultural evolution and the world ecosystem.
Archaeology is the sole source of information about peoples who have lived in Massachusetts, but have left no written record. Although we commonly associate archaeology with the pre-Colonial period, it is a discipline that also studies populations often neglected in our history: poor people, women, immigrant minorities, African Americans, and other minorities.
Archaeological inquiry is the study of the human ecology of past societies -- the study of how human groups coped with the stresses of changing environments. Other scientific disciplines benefit from archaeological investigations which include the reconstruction of past climates and the evolution of plant and animal species.
Archaeological sites are valuable places in the modern landscape where we can experience a tangible link to the past. Most sites in Massachusetts are privately owned. They will be preserved through the generosity of private landowners, or not at all.
State Archaeologist
Massachusetts Historical Commission
Massachusetts Archives Building
220 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, MA 02125
(617) 727-8470