Bosing is an unsophisticated method for the discovery of buried

archaeological features Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscapes ...

such as pits and ditches dug into a thin

substratum In linguistics, a stratum (Latin for "layer") or strate is a language that influences or is influenced by another through contact. A substratum or substrate is a language that has lower power or prestige than another, while a superstratum or sup ...

of rock, such as

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

chalk Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Chalk ...

. The technique involves hitting a block of wood laid over the ground surface with a weighty hammer and assessing the sound given out. For example, if the wood gave out a heavy thudding sound, then this would indicate that the underlying

bedrock In geology, bedrock is solid Rock (geology), rock that lies under loose material (regolith) within the crust (geology), crust of Earth or another terrestrial planet. Definition Bedrock is the solid rock that underlies looser surface mater ...

had been disturbed while undisturbed bedrock would emit a thinner and sharper tone. Methodically repeating the process across an area and noting the sound pattern will reveal the extent of the underground features.The concise Oxford dictionary of archaeology p.57

References

Sources

* {{archaeology-stub Geological techniques Archaeological science Methods in archaeology