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Rhiannon wrote:
They ARE both destroying the archaeology. That was precisely my point, did you not look at the document? That's the reason why a responsible archaeologist, thinking about the possibilities of the future, wouldn't go digging up everything all at once. Yes some stones from the beckhampton avenue were excavated, but they didn't go digging up the entire purported line of the stones - that leaves possibilities for the future, the 'sustainability' thing mentioned.

Also, medieval traces have things to tell us too - what about the things we can find out about why the stones were buried in the first place - is that not of interest to the history of Avebury? and illuminates attitudes to the stones in later times?
if you page down there's a section that mentions this
http://www.archaeologyuk.org/ba/ba103/feat2.shtml
(stone destruction)

No, I didn't read the document. I don't have the time currently. Which is why I've repeatedly asked for examples of *what* archaeology is being destroyed. Do we have any specific examples?

I'll say it again - the idea is that things at avebury are only excavated when proper research is being undertaken. Specific research into whatever traces a specific archaeologist might specialise in. I'm not an archaeologist. But I imagine, ignorantly, that it could be geophysical traces, stratigraphy, things wot respond to radar waves, resistivity, magnetic anomalies, artifacts from different periods, environmental traces like snail shells, - I don't know, I'm not an archaeologist and that's why if you really want to know details you're going to have read stuff yourself, or contact the people that did the excavations. But those things are going to be destroyed if you dig stuff up.

And - more to my point - there are things that are going to be destroyed that *we don't even know at this stage are important*. So no-one can tell you what those things might be that are being destroyed, not yet. They might be detected with Special Rays or analysed with impressive bits of kit with flashing lights on. Or whatever. So the plan of the people who look after avebury is to keep as much as possible unexcavated for the future. There's only a finite amount of archaeology out there. They don't want to be looked on as we now look on the Victorian speed-barrow-diggers of the past, chucking out bits and pieces that we now consider very valuable.

That's my point really, and if you don't want to do any reading about the subject to back up your own points, then how can the discussion progress?