Archaeology, Salvage

Christina B. Rieth

Salvage (or compliance) archaeology is performed in response to local, state, and federal historic preservation mandates. Compliance archaeology ensures that cultural resources that are likely to be impacted by construction are properly managed through documentation and excavation before they are destroyed. Over half of the archaeologists working in the United States today are employed in salvage archaeology. Compliance projects comprise a growing segment of archaeological research, with millions of dollars allotted to projects annually. In the United States, archaeological salvage projects are completed in response to a variety of state and federal laws, including the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA), National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), and the Archaeological Resources Protection Act (ARPA). The NHPA is the most important of these laws and establishes a State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) and officer in each state. The State Historic Preservation officer is responsible for overseeing implementation of the NHPA within that particular ...

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