In my thesis I examined the effects of intentional site burial on archaeological sites as a mean of in situ protection. A significant number of archaeological sites has been found during the construction of new buildings and especially the construction of roads. Their conservation is important. Experts suggest that the most appropriate manner is in situ protection. One option is intentional site burial, which I discussed in the thesis. Using the finite element method, I calculated deformations that occur in different types of soil because of embankment, which is used for protection of archaeological sites. I calculated deformations in clay and sand, which represent two very different types of foundation soil that can be found in Slovenia. For the weight-load I took into account the embankment's own weight, the weight of the hydraulic excavator, which was used during the construction, and the weight of the truck which might be used after the archaeological site is cleared. I tried to reduce deformations with various measures, such as using different fill materials and the use of geosynthetics, in order to reduce the potential damage to archaeological sites. After the calculations, I determined the optimal height of embankment by comparison of deformation so that the potential archaeological sites would be perfectly protected from damage. I presumed that archaeological founds deform to the same extent as the surrounding soil. At the end of thesis I listed limit values that materials found in archaeological sites can withstand without damaging. For the limit values I used elastic deformations because plastic deformations are already irreversible, which is precisely what we must avoid.
|