rekēäl′ə jē

Recceology Field Services are the foremost practitioners of the archaeological discipline of 'Recceology'; developed originally within the Recceology Group of Companies.

Recceology (ancient Latin: recognoscere, and later French: reconnaitre = recognise and ancient Latin logos = word, thought or reckoning) is a group of non-invasive studies, such as topographical evaluation, surface examination, aerial observation and environmental measurements.

Recceology is conducted both in a technical fashion and in a non-technical fashion. Principally applied to battlefield archaeology, the technical form is based on surface finds of artefacts and spalls from impact – as well as tracks and matching of photographic and other paper evidence. The non-technical form is opinion-driven; assessing where strategic points are based on theory and experience of the military behaviours during the period of history in question.

Recceology is a practice generally employed to avoid random invasive sampling. The latter has low success rates in military archaeology and it is accepted by many that random sampling can cause unnecessary damage. Recceology Field Services provide a range of services for the archaeological investigation of sites of military interest and operate throughout Europe, the Mediterranean and North Africa. Works are carried out on a contract basis and enquiries about turnkey projects are welcomed.