Archaeologists often find themselves in a peculiar situation after excavating archaeological sites, collect artifacts and study ancient structures: they rebury sites, restoring everything to its original state before scientific investigations.
But why do they do this? The brief answer involves preservation issues, preventing erosion, looting and damage caused by exposure to the elements.
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However, a recent case at Birdosvaldo, a Roman military base on Hadrian's Wall in England, offers an opportunity to explore this practice more deeply.
Birdosvaldo, built during the reign of Emperor Hadrian, was a Roman military base in the 120s AD. W. Located on the northern edge of the Roman imperial border in England, the base stretched approximately 117 km, from east to west.
In 2021, a team of archaeologists discovered the fortress's bathhouse outside the main structure, an area known as the extramural settlements, which housed soldiers, traders and civilians.
The bathhouse proved to be a valuable find, allowing researchers to examine details of everyday life in the military forts of Hadrian's Wall.
After two years of study, the team plans to rebury the bathhouse, a procedure that is not uncommon at archaeological sites. This helps preserve the site so future archaeologists can get better tools and new questions to explore during excavations.
Dig archaeological sites inevitably causes some damage, such as the removal of soil deposited on structures and the exposure of fragile artifacts.
As a result, excavations are recorded in detail. After the research, archaeologists preserve the artifacts removed and those left in situ, that is, in the original location.
(Image: disclosure)
Unless the site is threatened by future construction or erosion, most archaeological artifacts are left largely intact.
This allows future research to be carried out in the same area. In Birdosvaldo, for example, archaeologists excavated the same site in several stages, several times a year.
The moment to end the excavation and choose to rebury it depends on the answers that the research managed to obtain, generally related to the use and age of the site.
Birdosvaldo's bathroom, after revealing its secrets, will be buried again to conserve the space.
Lack of maintenance is a significant risk for in situ archaeological sites, leading several countries to require the reburial of sites after research in order to grant permission to excavate.
This is because outdoor artifacts are subject to deterioration due to sun exposure, humidity fluctuations, erosion, vandalism, looting, and unauthorized visits.
Before reburying Birdosvaldo's bathhouse, researchers carry out an analysis of the site's materials to assess their ability to resist atmospheric conditions and biological damage. This includes considering burrowing animals and plant roots, among other factors.
To make it easier to identify trenches in the future, researchers often add a layer of clean sand or plastic, along with signs with the current date.
