Applied Archaeology

Archaeological & Bioarchaeological Services

.

The team of Applied Archaeology (AA) has been conducting archaeological work in the CNMI for over 25 years. AA specializes in the archaeology and history of the CNMI and was formally incorporated in the CNMI in September 2020, after having conducted all the previous projects under Scientific Consultant Services, Inc. based in Honolulu. AA is owned by Michael Dega, Ph.D., Principal Investigator (archaeologist) for the company. It is a sole proprietorship. AA has conducted every form of archaeological mitigation on Saipan and Tinian in particular, from archaeological monitoring to inventory survey, Section 106 consultation, data recovery, and burial treatment. AA team members have conducted multiple archaeological monitoring, data recovery, and burial treatment projects on Saipan and Tinian over the years, from the BSI in Garapan (over 461 burials documented and mitigated) to documenting the oldest known site in the Marinans ( San Roque).

Some of our Projects

The Applied Archaeology Principal Investigator (M. Dega, Ph.D.) has been working the CNMI since 1997, with his staff having conducted numerous projects across the islands since 2015. Currently, AA has five full-time staff on Saipan and Tinian. Current projects include monitoring, bone recovery, and inventory survey.

 
 

Saipan Projects

Kannat Tabla Monitoring

Route 36 Monitoring

Quartermaster Road Mon.

JARRWC Bone Recovery

Sugar Dock Survey

San Roque inventory survey

Kagman Survey

Koblerville Survey, Data Rec.

As Matuis Survey

Marpi Data Recovery

IPI Casino Data Rec./Burial

Tinian Projects

Tinian Port Hotel/Casino

Port Waterlines

San Jose Quarry

Marpi Quarry

JARRWC Bone Recovery

San Jose CUC Inventory

Tinian Int. Airport Survey

Xingsha Hotel Data Rec/burial


AA has conducted many Archaeological Inventory Survey projects in the CNMI. The AIS, as it is commonly called, is the first level of documentation in a project area. The goal of the AIS is to identify the presence/absence of historic properties (i.e., archaeological or cultural sites) in a project area and to determine their significance. An AIS encompasses background/archival research, field survey and testing (as needed), mapping and site recording, evaluating sites for their significance, and completion of an AIS report acceptable to the State Historic Preservation Division (SHPD). If AIS-level work is completed and no sites are identified, a short form Archaeological Assessment (AA) report is written and submitted to the SHPD for review. The AA concludes that no sites occur in a project area or sites are unlikely to be present.

Meet the Team

  • Dr. Michael F. Dega

    Founder/Archaeologist

    PhD in Archaeology from University of Hawaii-Manoa. Conducted fieldwork since 1994 in India, SE Asia, the Hawaiian Islands, and Micronesia (CNMI), Lead author on over 1,700 CRM and academic publications.

  • Dr. Christopher A King

    Osteologist

  • Dave Perzinski MA

    Senior Archaeologist

  • Katherine Bermudez

    Osteologist

  • Jason Stolfer

    Archaeologist

  • Archaeologist

    Description goes here

  • Archaeologist

    Description goes here