National Occupational Standards in
Archaeological Practice

working | NOS home | the NOS framework | NOS map |

Section A | Section B | Section C | Section D | Section E | Section F | Section G | Section H | Section J | Section K

AE3 Identify and describe archaeological items

AE3.3 Describe the potential significance of an item as an archaeological resource

Performance Required

This will involve:

1. Examining an item without putting it at risk
2. Collecting all available information relevant to the identification of the item and assessing its reliability
3. Assessing discrepancies in the information and seeking explanations
4. Accurately identifying complex features of the item
5. Clearly identifying the item's relationship and significance to other items in its group
6. Using all available information to identify the item
7. Clearly identifying the item wherever possible and providing a rationale for the identification
8. Accurately and clearly recording the results of the identification process in an appropriate format

Occupational Context

1. Information
   • location of discovery
   • associated find data
   • composition / features
   • historical / cultural / educational significance
2. Deficiencies or discrepancies
   • lack of specificity in identification
   • inconsistencies in historical profile
   • unknown or unreliable sources
   • inconclusive explanations
3. Complex features
   • composition and state
   • status and ownership
   • risk
   • value
   • utility and function
4. Relationship and significance to other items
   • in a technical or compositional context
   • in a historical or temporal context
   • in a situational or geographical context
   • in a social or cultural context
   • in an interpretational context
5. Appropriate format
   • as part of a portfolio/case log book
   • amongst site records
   • for purposes of explicit presentation and interpretation
   • in terms of its immediate or long term use

Knowledge Requirements

You need to know and understand how to:

• Synthesise information

You need to know about:

Potential significance in archaeological terms

• Contribution to research, understanding and knowledge base
• Contribution to reputation and profile of the organisation
• Contribution to organisational/ local/ national archive collections, inventories and databases

Research and information systems

• Developments in information :technology/ capabilities of IT systems - Such as the national collections database
• Sources: organisations, experts, previous item holders, publications, the organisation's collection, catalogues, reference works and written reports
• Access and availability of resources: recording, and storage procedures, classification systems
• Purposes of research: research strategy, methodology, techniques, and body of research
• Methods for analysing information

Classification

• Items' history and significance
• Scope and content of classified collection
• History of class of item
• Features and qualities of class of item

Required Skills

You should demonstrate:

• Research and comparative skills

Evidence Required

You should provide evidence that you can describe the potential significance of an item as an archaeological resource

The candidate should be questioned, based upon the documentation provided, to explore how they identify an item and determine its features and significance

Evidence Rules

N/A

This site will look best in a browser that supports web standards, but is accessible to any browser or Internet device. Further information

TORC is a service of the Archaeology Training Forum, operated by the Council for British Archaeology and supported by English Heritage. Further information

Today's date: 3/9/2010
This page last updated: 6/8/2007 11:58