This dissertation will look at some of the scientific principles relevant to burial. This background information will then be coupled with existing knowledge regarding the mechanisms of decay in burial environments. Different elements pertaining to the design of burials will then be outlined in regard to their effects on the preservation of buried archaeological material. Finally, goal oriented design will be discussed using published examples of different burial and reburial projects. This dissertation assesses what is done at present to educate the public, especially children, in the area of conservation of archaeological and historic artifacts.
Most people understand what an archaeological site is.
Many of England's older cities have had an excavation over the last ten or twenty years, which will have caught people's attention. However few people have an idea what happens to objects after they are excavated, beyond being dusted off and placed behind glass. There is also a belief that once an object has made it to a museum it will be safe. While this is generally true, lack of resources, including financing can mean an object does not always receive the care and attention needed to preserve it. Many institutions increasingly need to be seen as financially self sufficient.