A branch of ancient times that are devoted to studying artifacts and features on sites which are in danger of being damaged or destroyed by development in the form of the construction of dams, buildings, highways, etc.: Salvage archaeology includes the location, recording (usually through excavation), and collection of archaeological data from a site in advance of highway construction, drainage projects, or urban development.

In the U.S., the first major program of salvage archaeology was undertaken during the1930s, ahead of the construction and dam building done by the Tennessee Valley authority.

The rescue, or salvage, archaeologist, is concerned with the retrieval of as much information as possible about the archaeological sites before they are damaged or destroyed.