Editing Archaeological site (section)

== Geographical extent ==
It is almost invariably difficult to delimit a site. It is sometimes taken to indicate a settlement of some sort, although the archaeologist must also define the limits of human activity around the settlement.  Any episode of deposition, such as a [[hoard]] or burial, can form a site as well. Development-led archaeology undertaken as [[cultural resources management]] has the disadvantage (or the benefit) of having its sites defined by the limits of the intended development. Even in this case, however, in describing and interpreting the site, the archaeologist will have to look outside the boundaries of the building site.

According to Jess Beck in "How Do Archaeologists Find Sites?"<ref>{{Cite web|url = https://bonebrokeblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/how-do-archaeologists-find-sites/|title = How do archaeologists find sites?|last = JB|website = Bone Broke|date = 27 February 2015|access-date = 10 March 2016|archive-date = 13 March 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160313114854/https://bonebrokeblog.wordpress.com/2015/02/27/how-do-archaeologists-find-sites/|url-status = live}}</ref> the areas with numerous artifacts are good targets for future excavation, while areas with a small number of artifacts are thought to reflect a lack of past human activity. Many areas have been discovered by accident. The most common people who have found artifacts are farmers who are plowing their fields or just cleaning them up, and they often find archaeological artifacts. Many people who are out hiking and even pilots find artifacts, and they usually end up reporting them to archaeologists for further investigation. When they find sites, they have to first record the area, and if they have the money and time for the site, they can start digging.