Terrestrial Archaeological Research

Terrestrial Archaeological Research. As previously stated, Sections 106 and 110 of the National Historic Preservation Act (NHPA) of 1966, as amended, require federal land management agencies and others receiving federal funds, licenses, or permits for land alteration projects to consider cultural resources within their project’s area of potential effects. Usually this process consists of locating sites, determining if they are eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places, as well as assessing the effects of the project, if any, on the resources. This does not mean every single site must be found. Instead, it means the responsible agency must make a reasonable and good faith effort to “consider all kinds of historic properties” in the project’s area of potential effects (Section 301[7]; King 1998:62, 67). Therefore, research designs and survey or testing methodologies should reflect this concept of “reasonable and good faith effort” (Advisory Council on Historic Preservation 1986:20). The following section briefly outlines Phase I, II, and III techniques and guidelines that should assist archaeologists and agency administrators in developing research designs, primarily for Phases II and III, capable of retrieving sufficient amounts of data to identify and evaluate terrestrial cultural resources. Each phase should be approached within the context of a research design with project results contributing to a better knowledge and understanding of Mississippi’s past.