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Description of the research
Every archaeological search involves various characteristics depending on its aims and problematics. In Paliambela Kolindros modern trends and methods of the archaeological research are adopted in an attempt to promote an overall work in the area.
 
Prehistoric archaeology
The Paliambela archaeological programme is integrated within the framework of the scientifc interest in the study of Prehistory. In a country with a rich historical past, prehistoric archaeology offers information about the activities of communities who have left no written texts, only fragmentary material residues. The knowledge that comes to light is important as concerns our understanding of the prehistoric way of life, of the processes that led to the developments of the later historical periods, and of the elements of the distant past that have survived into our time.
 
Character of the research
The character of the archaeological research at Paliambela is multi-faceted. First of all it is anthropological, in the sense that the archaeological finds are treated as information that refers to the people that created them. Second, it is diachronic, since it attempts to interpret the processes of the distant past and link them with recent and contemporary conditions by means of studies, and with other activities which go beyond the limits of prehistory. Third, it places an emphasis on the local scale, since the investigation is foremost a study of local natural and cultural processes. Finally, it is multi-disciplinary, as it approaches the problem of reconstructing the past by means of various scientific fields.
 
A modern event
Archaeological practice is an historic event. Archaeological interpretations are closely tied to the way in which the researcher understands the past, themselves in the wider environment, and also the way in which the environment understands their work. Within this logic of reassessment, the Paliambela archaeological programme is not limited by the excavation procedure. It includes a number of activities that bring all the parties involved (the archaeological community, the local community, the wider public) closer in order to propose a dialogue on the contemporary importance and the impact that archaeological research has on the space. With these activities a modern character is given to the archaeological project, so that it is not understood solely as a way of reclaiming lost moments of the past. Above all else, archaeological research is understood as an act that occurs in the present, but which also has repercussions on the future.
 
The theory and methodology of the research
In this sense archaeological research constitutes an event that creates new objects and leaves its mark on the space and the history of the place where it is carried out. The archaeological practice followed at Paliambela places an emphasis on the systematic recording and organisation of the excavatory information. Taking the interpretative approach as a theoretical base, the archaeological data are dealt with as a whole made up of dynamic, dialectic, and changeable relationships between artefacts, contexts, and interpretations. And so, with the field of excavation as a starting point where the material is classified, analysed and reconstructed, the archaeological procedure creates images, texts and relationships. The products of the research allow the continual comparison and juxtaposition of the data, endlessly offering the capability of reviewing the excavation and the analysis of every artefact.
 

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