About RAAP

RAAP Archaeological Consultancy (RAAP) is the largest independent archaeological company in the Netherlands, with mare than 100 employees working in five regional offices. RAAP was founded in 1985. We carry out about 1000 projects a year, mostly in the Netherlands. Our clients are both private companies and government agencies, including municipalities, provincial and national authorities.

Caring for our archaeological heritage
We provide our clients with quality heritage management services and we are experienced in the full range of archaeological investigations: from desktop assessment, survey and trial trenching to excavations and watching briefs. Furthermore, our expertise lies in advising clients on how to deal with archaeological heritage in spatial planning and development. We also advise designers on how to use our cultural heritage as a source of inspiration, so they can create a more attractive environment to live in, with a stronger cultural identity.

Specialized in archaeological survey
Over the past 30 years RAAP has developed a wide range of methods that provide a cost-effective and specific solution to the task of detecting archaeological sites in different situations. Knowledge of the location preferences of prehistoric people and information from sources such as historical maps, aerial photographs, digital elevation models, soil maps and geological maps allows us to develop GIS-based predictive models. These are used to determine which survey method is best suited for the type of site that is expected. Our survey methods include field walking, core sampling, geophysical survey and trial-trenching. The results of the surveys are used to assess the potential impact of the proposed developments on the archaeology and to formulate advise on how to best mitigate these impacts.

Committed to an integrated approach
Years of experience in surveying in various conditions and landscapes have made it clear that a combination of different methods provides the best results: an integrated approach. Archaeology is only a part of our cultural historical heritage. Historical geographical and architectural aspects are equally important, and should be included in spatial development plans as well. The interests of our cultural historical heritage are best served by an integrated approach which also takes into account the intricacies of government regulations in spatial planning and cultural heritage management.

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