Bodies of Substance Fragments of Memories: An Archaeological Sensitivity to Ghostly Presence

Ghost Research is archaeological work that requires specific field practices. This book introduces the investigative techniques of a ghost archaeology. This is defined as a scientific discipline of the ordinary a search for the repetitive patterns of cultural behavior that can be unearthed during an field investigation. Six case studies of cultural hauntings are presented which illustrate the usefulness of archaeological methodology and techniques in field research. The investigation of ghostly presence at Gettysburg in the anthracite coal region at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia and a Civil War haunting in Petersburg Virginia are cited. These investigations show how potential evidential data can be uncovered if only the investigators would maintain an archaeological sensibility in their fieldwork operations.