Wessex Archaeology is one of the largest private archaeological

Archaeology

Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...

 organisations operating in the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, based near Salisbury

Salisbury

Salisbury is a cathedral city in Wiltshire, England and the only city in the county. It is the second largest settlement in the county...

 in Wiltshire

Wiltshire

Wiltshire is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset, Somerset, Hampshire, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire. It contains the unitary authority of Swindon and covers...

.

Background

Founded in 1979 as the Wessex Archaeological Committee, its name changed in 1983 to the Trust for Wessex Archaeology and became one of the first rescue archaeology

Rescue archaeology

Rescue archaeology, sometimes called "preventive" or "salvage" archaeology, is archaeological survey and excavation carried out in areas threatened by, or revealed by, construction or other development...

 units in the country, focussing on the rich concentration of sites in and around Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain

Salisbury Plain is a chalk plateau in central southern England covering . It is part of the Southern England Chalk Formation and largely lies within the county of Wiltshire, with a little in Hampshire. The plain is famous for its rich archaeology, including Stonehenge, one of England's best known...

. In 2005, its name changed again, to Wessex Archaeology Limited, trading as "Wessex Archaeology".

Since the advent of developer-funded archaeology with PPG 16

PPG 16

Planning Policy Guidance 16: Archaeology and Planning commonly abbreviated as PPG 16, was a document produced by the British Government to advise local planning authorities on the treatment of archaeology within the planning process...

 and its successor, PPS5

Planning Policy Statements

In the United Kingdom, Planning Policy Statements are statements of the British Government's national policy and principles towards certain aspects of the town planning framework. They apply to England only...

, it has expanded its commercial operations across the UK with offices in Rochester, Sheffield and Edinburgh. It includes a large maritime archaeology

Maritime archaeology

Maritime archaeology is a discipline within archaeology as a whole that specifically studies human interaction with the sea, lakes and rivers through the study of associated physical remains, be they vessels, shore side facilities, port-related structures, cargoes, human remains and submerged...

 department.

Charitable Aims

Wessex Archaeology is a registered charity with stated aims: "to promote the advancement of the education of the public in the subjects of culture, arts, heritage and science through the pursuit of archaeology".

The results of its archaeological investigations are lodged with local authorities, and an increasing number can now be accessed online via Wessex Archaeology's website, or via the Archaeology Data Service

Archaeology Data Service

The Archaeology Data Service is an open access digital archive for archaeological research outputs. It is located in the The King's Manor, at the University of York...

's OASIS index.

Noteable Staff

Time Team

Time Team

Time Team is a British television series which has been aired on Channel 4 since 1994. Created by television producer Tim Taylor and presented by actor Tony Robinson, each episode features a team of specialists carrying out an archaeological dig over a period of three days, with Robinson explaining...

's Phil Harding

Phil Harding (archaeologist)

Philip Harding is a British field archaeologist. He has become a familiar face on the Channel 4 television series Time Team...

 works for Wessex Archaeology.

Sue Davies OBE is Wessex Archaeology's Chief Executive. Made an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for services to heritage in the 2008 New Year Honours she is also the Chair of the Culture Committee at the UK National Commission for UNESCO.