THE PRESERVATION AND DESTRUCTION OF EVIDENCE
Using all resources at your disposal, discuss what factors affect the preservation and
destruction of evidence.
There are many factors that affect the preservation and destruction of evidence. These
coincide with how artifacts are dealt with to preserve evidence and how destruction of
evidence can affect the history of archaeology.
The factors that affect the destruction of evidence include:
 Warfare – Warfare has always been the worst example of the destruction of
evidence. Such conflict has
usually been accompanied by
looting. This contributes to the
loss of artifacts, which usually
results in artifacts being sold for
Warfare in
money or for other purposes. E.g.
Baghdad
The Second Gulf War where
civilians in Baghdad had broken
into presidential places and thus
dragging away items of great
value is an example of the destruction of evidence.

Tourism – Modern mass tourism is a
major cause of damage and destruction
to archaeological sites.1 Tourists walk,
touch, photograph, take souvenirs and
breathe, all of which endanger the sites
they visit.2

Tourists
Pollution – Pollution itself poses the greatest amounts of damage and
destruction of archaeological
sites. E.g. Air pollution in the
form of emissions from traffic
and industry combine to
Pollution from
create acid rain. This acts as a
Industry
corrosive agent that eats into
and destroys ancient
stonework. 3 Ground
pollution also poses risks to
artifacts. As a result artifacts
Antiquity 1 – Past Perspectives (page 32)
Ibid (page 32)
3
Ibid (page 34)
1
2
are destroyed and the history of archaeological remains is forever lost.

Modern Development – Urban development also poses risk historical sites.
This usually coincides with the balance of preserving evidence of the past and
providing needs for the present and future development (roads, freeways, etc).
The construction of roads, freeways, tunnels and housing developments can
destroy artifacts that lie beneath.

Looting – Looting is another way in which evidence is destroyed and
damaged. Looting is legal by
means of which ‘treasure
hunters’ dig up the past and
take it to their country as if it
were their own. Furthermore
Parthenon
these artifacts are used in the
Black Market where these are
sold to other countries
through underground trade.
As a result many civilisations
have been limited to their
understanding and knowledge of archaeological finds. E.g. the Parthenon
Marbles which was taken from Greece after a war between the Ottoman
Empire and Venice are displayed at the British Museum in London, is an
example of looting.
The survival of physical remains from the past depends very much on the material
from which they are made, the environment conditions that they are subjected to and
sheer fate.4 Artifacts made of stone, brick, gold, bronze and clay preserve well,
whereas organic remains (human or animal), textiles, papyrus decay rapidly.
The factors which affect the preservation of evidence include:
 Climate – Dry climates such as desert regions are beneficial in the
preservation of objects. Heat and the absence of moisture prevent decay. Many
important finds such as the tomb of Tutankhamen and the wooden ships buried
beside the pyramids of Giza
still remain due to the dry
climate that preserves the
finds. Peat bogs, in the
presence of acids in the soil
help prevent decay. Examples
Lindow Man
where beat bogs have been
used are the Tollund Man and
Lindow Man. Cold climates
also provide suitable
conditions for the
preservation of organic
materials. E.g. the 5000 year old body of Oetzi, also known as Iceman is an
excellent example of preserved remains in cold climates.
4
Ibid (page 34)

Geological Conditions – The composition of soil in which objects are buried
play a major role in the preservation
of evidence. Chemicals from plant or
animal matter react with minerals in
the soil, thus preventing decay. E.g.
the presence of calcium turns bones
into hard stone. Another great
example is the cities of Pompeii and
Pompeii and
Herculaneum, where it was preserved
Herculaneum
under layers of volcanic ash and mud
since 79 AD.

Actions of People – People are mostly considered to part a vital part in the
preservation of evidence (deliberately or accidently). Burial customs play a
most significant role because tombs, hidden from grave robbers, have
preserved grave goods and bodies. They provide archaeologists with
opportunities to learn abut the people who built them.5

Fire – Fire is also a source that preserves evidence. Considered harmful, it can
convert fragile objects, such as
grain, to a carbonized form.
Damp clay, such as writing
tablets, can be fired and
Clay tablets of
preserved. Examples include
the ancient
clay tablets of the ancient
Minoans and
Minoans and Mycenaeans
Mycenaeans
found at Knossos and Pylos.
Furthermore, archaeological remains are the foundation for our history. Due to the
destruction of evidence the extent of history is limited due to the many factors which
affect the survival of historical remains. Great measures have been made to reduce the
amount of destruction amongst artifacts. The preservation of evidence can provide us
with extensive knowledge of the past and present day. All of which are needed to help
us understand history about the past.
5
Ibid (page 35)