Trial trenching

The results of the trial trenching are used to inform any future stage of work which may extend to full excavation of the rest of the site if the evaluation reveals significant finds.

In the UK the results of the trial trenching will be used to inform the decision on the need for any further archaeological work to be undertaken prior to development.

[2] There is some argument over the sampling strategy to be employed in trial trenching, especially in evaluating sites that are intended for development.

Issues such as the effectiveness of certain trench layouts or the percentage of the site to be dug (normally around 5% at present) are widely discussed.

Whilst it is difficult to quantify the number of false negative results there have certainly been examples of evaluations suggesting a relatively limited amount of past activity which has had to be upwardly revised during the excavation.