Does anyone know what exactly a cemeterian is and what kind of
qualifications they have?  I have a situation where a cemetery
consultant used soil probing to clear an area around a cemetery
for development.  This consultant did not "in his opinion" find
any unmarked graves through this method.  While I agree with the
methods used and the results of the investigation, I am a bit concerned
about the qualifications of someone who is essentially doing
archaeological investigations.  This particular consultant has no
archaeological experience, but states that disinterment of remains
can be done under the supervision of a funeral director.
 
My question is, when is it archaeology, when is it not and who decides
what it is?  This consultant certainly has great experience in studying
cemeteries.  He probably knows much more about them than I do, but is he
qualified to use the same techniques as archaeologists to make
determinations about the location of or absence of graves for a
developer?  Maybe someone should require cemeterians to have some
archaeological experience.
 
 
 
M. Jay Stottman