How long does the excavation process usually take? I know that different tombs take different lengths of time to excavate, but I was wondering how long it would take to (specifically) excavate a figure of nobility's tomb in comparison to a commoner's tomb. Since they were different sizes, did they have different forms of protection and therefore take longer to excavate? It would be great if you helped, since I've wondered about this topic before.

It takes anywhere from minutes to months, depending on the size and/or who is doing the excavation.

Really, there's no set limit. It depends if the place has been filled in by weather effects, or going through the paperwork of legalities, etc. etc. etc.

Ahlan!!!

I am a student of Archaeology in Spain, and I've been involved in many excavation projects. Some of these began about 25 years ago, and still have about another 25 or 30 years of work. An archaeological project is not only excavating, but also making an interpretation of the stratigraphy to know the history of the site, and also studying and cataloguing the artifacts. Although we only dig in summer (with about 45-50ºC), we have work for the whole year. It is also necessary to study the materials and diaries of earlier excavations, because the archaeological methods have developed a lot since they were done.

I am now studying a scarab that appeared in a roman site where I dig (The Alcudia, at Elche, Spain), of which we haven't got any stratigraphical reference, and so I must study and try to date it by means of typology and paralels.

If you would like to have more information about these archaeological projects, ask me!

Kisses,

EVIE

Edited by DM28 for doublepost.