A new simulation tool for the assessment of subsurface testing: Dig It Check It

There is a general awareness amongst archaeologists that the intensity of a sampling program, i.e. the number of pits, their size and their spacing, has a strong bearing on discovery rates. However, rarely is the effect of this relationship on specific sampling strategies explicitly assessed due to the difficulty of running the required mathematical models. This paper presents a new simulation tool Dig It, Check It, which allows the archaeologist to easily determine the effectiveness of a sampling program against a variety of artefact site types. This is the first model to be presented which employs simulation to assess the effectiveness of irregular, real-world subsurface sampling programs through the importation of an ArcGis file. This means that a sampling strategy which includes test-pits of varying sizes and intervals can be assessed, as can survey areas of non-rectangular shape. Small artefact concentrations are particularly vulnerable to detection failure, and this model allows the archaeologist to determine whether their absence reflects reality or is a product of the sampling program.