damage to potentially significant finds project to our heritage, and what should be Detective work
and make sure that everyone – from the done in order to manage and mitigate them. While the physical discovery and painstaking
developers to the local community – By providing as much information as possible extraction of artefacts from the soil might
views a project favourably from the to the developer early on, we can avoid costly lend archaeology a certain drama and tension,
start and long after the work is done. surprises further down the line.” excavation is the tip of the iceberg.
n Iron age “The artefacts we’ve unearthed Janet Miller, director of atkins’ heritage “That’s when the real work starts, using
cemetery containing at the olympic Park provide some team, agrees. as part of its archaeological what you have uncovered to piece together
four skeletons, 4,000- fascinating clues about what life expertise, the company helps clients meet their what it was like in the past, how people
year-old flint axes, World War II gunning was like at different points in its history,” says local authority requirements while getting as lived and the topography at a point in time,”
posts and roman river walls. What do Simon Wright, director of infrastructure and much out the process as possible. says Miller. For example, thanks to the work
they all have in common? They were all utilities at the olympic Delivery authority “We communicate exactly what the of archaeology teams such as those at atkins
unearthed as part of the enabling works (oDa). “having access to such a large urban obligations are in terms of archaeology, what and the Museum of london, we now have a
done in the lower lea Valley for the site and discovering such a diverse set of options exist and the likely costs involved,” better picture of what life was like at points
olympic Park in advance of the london finds has proved to be a fantastic learning says Miller. “While it’s essential that any work throughout the 12,000 years that the site
2012 olympic and Paralympic games. The opportunity. It gives us a very rare perspective is carried out to the highest quality, it’s also has been occupied.
archaeological investigation was conducted on a large part of early prehistoric london.” important that it has as little impact as “The location of an abbey at Stratford 13
by the Museum of london with Pca and Taryn Nixon is director of the Museum of possible on project schedules and costs.” indicates that the area was significant during
managed by atkins, along with a small london’s archaeology arm and has worked achieving these goals means taking the medieval period,” says Nixon. “We know
number of specialists. It spanned two years, with atkins on various projects, including archaeology into account right from the that the post-medieval market gardens of
involved digging over 140 trenches and was london 2012. She points out that the ability start of the planning process and getting the lea Valley provided vast quantities of
the largest of its kind in the UK. to manage archaeology in development and any on-site works out of the way before the food to the london area; and that more
archaeology may not loom large in the construction effectively depends heavily on construction diggers move in. and london recently it had considerable importance in
imagination when standing in the middle starting early. 2012, Nixon points out, is the ultimate our industrial heritage.”
of a building site, but it is an essential part “archaeology is a process of discovery, immoveable deadline. “completing the To arrive at such conclusions, the investi-
of the environmental assessment process but it is founded on fundamental risk archaeological work on schedule was gative work draws on a host of resources
in most large-scale developments. Used management procedures,” says Nixon. imperative, as was meeting high safety and and disciplines. Much of the assessment
effectively, archaeology can help to avoid “We identify the potential risks of the quality standards,” she says. work occurs before the trowels come out.
miLesTones: The oLympiC pArK siTe
Late 9th
3000 bc 50 ad century 1110 ad
Wetlands, which early
roman road “ermine Street”
King Alfred
The first stone arch
Londoners navigated reputedly digs the Channelsea river
from london to colchester “bow” bridge in Britain
by timber walkways to divert invading Vikings from the
to fish and hunt
crosses the marshes
Thames on their way to London
gives the area its name
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