Mississippi Administrative Code
Title 16 - History, Humanities and Arts
Part 3 - Historic Preservation Division
Chapter 12 - Mississippi Standards and Guidelines for Archaeological Investigations
Rule 16-3-12.5.1 - Definition of an Archaeological Site

An archaeological site is a concentration of artifacts, ecofacts, or modifications to the landscape that are associated with past human activity and retain their context. An archaeological site in Mississippi is defined as the physical remains of an area of concentrated human activity for which a boundary can be established. Under the general definition, a broad range of site types would qualify as archaeological sites without the identification of any artifacts. To establish a boundary for archaeological sites manifested exclusively by artifacts, the recovery of a minimum of three items is needed, related either temporally or functionally and located within a spatially restricted area no greater than 30-x-30 meters (98.4-x-98.4 ft.) in size. MDAH will consider exceptions to these conditions on a case-by-case basis.