Sequential pedestal method
Definition
An excavation technique where the grave fill is removed in spits around the body, leaving the remains elevated on undisturbed matrix until the surroundings are fully exposed and recorded, then lowering the pedestal incrementally.
Related terms
- Flotation
- Passing grave fill through water to separate organic material that floats (seeds, plant fragments, insect remains, charcoal) from heavier inorganic material that...
- Half-sectioning
- Dividing the grave along its long axis and excavating one half as a section face before opening the other half. Provides a...
- In-situ recovery
- The documentation and removal of evidence from its original position before any surrounding material is shifted. Requires that position, orientation, and associations...
- Taphonomy
- The systematic modification of bone by environmental processes after death, operating over the burial or exposure interval. Includes weathering, soil staining, sun...
- Wet sieving
- The process of washing material through a mesh with water to separate and recover small fragments. Preferred for fire debris that has...
Explained in
- Clandestine Grave ExcavationAn excavation technique where the grave fill is removed in spits around the body, leaving the remains elevated on undisturbed matrix until the surroundings are...