Ordnance Survey Grid
Definition
In the context of conflict archaeology, the systematic metal-detector transect grid laid out before excavation begins, used both to locate metallic finds and to identify UXO concentrations that define exclusion zones for initial excavation.
- Context
- Conflict archaeology excavation
- Method
- Systematic metal-detector transect survey
- Laid out
- Before excavation begins
- Dual purpose
- Locates finds and identifies UXO exclusion zones
Common questions
Why is the grid surveyed before any digging starts on a conflict archaeology site?+
Battlefield sites can contain unexploded ordnance, so a metal-detector transect survey identifies dangerous concentrations first and lets the team mark exclusion zones, protecting excavators from injury before any trowel work begins near a live hazard.
How does the grid help interpret the finds once excavation does proceed?+
Recording each detected object's grid position preserves its spatial relationship to other finds and to terrain features, which lets researchers reconstruct troop movements, firing positions or the sequence of an engagement rather than treating each artefact as an isolated find.
Related terms
- CWGC (Commonwealth War Graves Commission)
- The international organisation, established by Royal Charter in 1917, responsible for commemorating Commonwealth military casualties of the First and Second World Wars....
- DNA Kinship Matching
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- Identity Disc
- A metal disc worn around the neck by military personnel bearing name, number, unit, and religion. In WWI British forces used two-disc...
- Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)
- Ammunition, shells, grenades, or bombs that were deployed but did not detonate, remaining live in the ground decades or centuries after the...
- Wound Track
- The path of tissue disruption left by a projectile passing through a body. Consists of a permanent cavity (crushed tissue) and a...