On a Commercial Scale – Archaeological Geophysics in England

Geophysical prospection for archaeology was first trialled in England over 75 years ago and, as the profession has matured, a dedicated research community has developed in the country. For over 30 years, archaeological geophysics has played a major role in developer-funded archaeology. Whilst no official figures exist for active archaeo-geophysicists in England, it is likely that the number of practitioners is in the 100s, and is perhaps one of the largest communities worldwide. Standards and Guidance are available to support the profession, but it is a challenge for these to keep pace with advancements in technology and methodologies. The balance between improving cost effectiveness, mainly through increased speed of field data acquisition, whilst maintaining research to increase the level of information gained by such investigations remains an important question for both the commercial and academic archaeological sectors.