Mississippi Administrative Code › Title 16 - History, Humanities and Arts › Part 3 - Historic Preservation Division › Chapter 12 - Mississippi Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations › Rule 16-3-12.1 - Introduction to the Standards

Current through June 25, 2024
Mississippi history dates back to over 12,000 years ago. The
				  vast majority of that history is unwritten and becomes known only through the
				  archaeological record. Most often, archaeological investigations in Mississippi
				  occur in response to federal and state laws that protect archaeological
				  resources. The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, serving as the
				  Mississippi State Historic Preservation Office (MSSHPO), developed these
				  Standards to provide a framework for those activities, as well as guidance for
				  non-regulatory archaeological studies. In accordance with MS Code §
									39-7-21(2013),
				  the Board of Trustees adopted the following standards to guide archaeological
				  excavations in Mississippi. These Standards replace the
"Guidelines for
				  Archaeological Investigations and Reports in Mississippi"
established
				  in 2001, and as amended in 2012. Since that date, there have been many
				  technological advances, advances in archaeological method and theory, and
				  reevaluation of archaeological practices and procedures in Mississippi. These
				  Standards will reflect those.
The Standards reflect various goals for Mississippi
				  archaeology:
1. Ensure that
				archaeological studies meet high professional research standards.
2. Identify important archaeological sites
				that contribute to our understanding of Mississippi's pre-contact and
				post-contact history.
3. Protect
				important archaeological sites, or when appropriate, gain information.
4. Provide significant public
				benefits.
5. Develop sound and
				reasoned public policy on regulatory archaeology.
6. Keep archaeological studies as cost
				effective as possible.
7. Increase
				creativity and flexibility in the conduct of archaeological studies.
Archaeology in Mississippi must result in significant public
				  benefit. As new information is garnered through archaeological research, it is
				  the archaeological community's responsibility to share this information widely.
				  These Standards emphasize public education and communication with clients,
				  landowners, local governments, community members, and interested
				  constituencies. The Standards also stress the need for clear and improved
				  communication about archaeological expectations, methods, findings, and their
				  value and relevance. These Standards are meant to allow for flexibility to
				  ensure that the scope and cost of recommended archaeological actions are
				  commensurate with a project's scale, level of anticipated impacts, project area
				  characteristics, and the significance of sites that may be affected by the
				  project.
The Standards emphasize the importance of prioritizing
				  archaeological investigations in an effort to focus on the discovery and
				  consideration of
significant
archaeological sites. The
				  Standards also emphasize the importance of evaluating the significance of a
				  site as early as possible in the archaeological assessment process.
These Standards represent a summary of information that has
				  been drawn from other published SHPO guidelines and practical experience
				  working in the Southeastern United States. The Standards have been designed to
				  reflect the minimum specifications for the collection and presentation of
				  technical archaeological information.
NOTE: Survey or data recovery methods that do
				  not meet the minimum standards described herein may result in additional
				  project costs and delays.
MSSHPO will use these Standards when reviewing Cultural
				  Resource Management (CRM) reports, and omissions from the procedures
				  recommended herein may be grounds for rejecting reports, or requiring further
				  field, laboratory, or background work.
The MSSHPO is involved in two major categories of
				  project reviews:
a.
Reviews in accordance with federal laws
, primarily under Section
				106 of the National Historic Preservation Act, referred to as "Section 106,"
				and sometimes under Section 110 of the Act. Under Section 106, federally
				funded, licensed, permitted, and assisted projects are subject to review. These
				regulations are codified in 36CFR 800.
b.
Reviews under state laws,
primarily the "Antiquities Law," under Mississippi Code 39.
The MSSHPO offers
advice/guidance
on projects not falling into the
				  categories of Section 106 projects or projects involving state, county or
				  town-owned lands. Such projects include:
a.
Projects that are not federal
				undertakings as codified in 36 CFR 800 but could have Section 106 ties in the
				future.
b.
Projects
				involving historic cemeteries. With these types of projects, it is the
				responsibility of the
county coroner
to regulate; the
				MSSHPO will only offer advice and has no jurisdiction over cemeteries.
These Standards will be reviewed and revised, if necessary,
				  every four (4) years by the Mississippi Department of Archives and History and
				  a Mississippi Association of Professional Archaeologists (MAPA) four (4) member
				  committee consisting of one archaeologist from each of the following areas:
				  academia (university/college professor); cultural resource management firm
				  (Principal Investigator); Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT); and
				  a federal agency (such as the Corps of Engineers).