Waterlogging (archaeology)

In archaeology, waterlogging refers to the long-term exclusion of air by groundwater, which creates an anaerobic environment that can preserve artifacts perfectly.

Thus, in a site which has been waterlogged since the archaeological horizon was deposited, exceptional insight may be obtained by study of artifacts made of leather, wood, textile or similar materials.

Peat bogs have likewise preserved many wooden trackways, including the world's oldest road, which is a 6,000-year-old one-mile stretch of track.

Water then infiltrated the inside of the mound and by combining with tannin exuding from the tree trunks, set up acidic conditions which destroyed the skeleton but preserved the skin, hair, ligaments, and clothing of the individuals.

In 1750, a huge mudslide buried a whale-hunting settlement on the coast of Washington, which protected the organic artifacts from the oxygen that would lead to their deterioration.