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What haven't we found? Recognising the value of negative evidence in archaeology

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 June 2022

Roger Thomas  and
Timothy Darvill
Roger Thomas*
Affiliation:
School of Archaeology, University of Oxford, UK
Timothy Darvill
Affiliation:
Department of Archaeology and Anthropology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Bournemouth University, UK
*
*Author for correspondence ✉ roger.thomas@arch.ox.ac.uk
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Abstract

Large-scale development-led archaeology has changed the very nature of archaeological datasets. In addition to the familiar positive evidence of structures and deposits, there is now a wealth of ‘true-negative’ evidence: the confirmed absence of archaeological remains. Making good use of such data presents a challenge and demands new ways of thinking. Using case studies based on recent developer-led work in the UK, the authors suggest that focusing on ‘fingerprints’ of past human activity at a landscape scale provides a useful approach. The results argue in favour of changes to existing recording systems, as well as the need to integrate more fully both positive and negative evidence in archaeological interpretation.

Keywords

Development-led archaeologyarchaeological fingerprintsinterpretationnegative evidencepositive evidence
Type
Research Article
Information
Antiquity , Volume 96 , Issue 388 , August 2022 , pp. 955 - 967
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Antiquity Publications Ltd.

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