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sub-group could be the three contexts that make up a burial; the grave cut, the body, and the back-filled earth on top of the body. Sub-groups can then be clustered together with other sub-groups by virtue of their stratigraphic relationship to form groups, which in turn form "phases." A sub-group burial could cluster with other sub-group burials to form a cemetery, which in turn could be grouped with a building, such as a church, to produce a "
36:
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the sequence; you have to dig a ditch before you can back-fill it. A relationship that is later in the sequence is sometimes referred to as "higher" in the sequence, and a relationship that is earlier, "lower", though this does not refer necessarily to the physical location of the context. It is more useful to think of "higher" as it relates to the context's position in a
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Understanding a site in modern archaeology is a process of grouping single contexts together in ever larger groups by virtue of their relationships. The terminology of these larger clusters varies depending on the practitioner, but the terms interface, sub-group, and group are common. An example of a
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which in turn can fix events represented by contexts to some range in time. For example, the date of formation of a context which is totally sealed between two datable layers will fall between the dates of the two layers sealing it. However the date of contexts often fall in a range of possibilities
416:
of artifacts from context 7 that occur nowhere else in the sequence, we have isolated them with a reasonable degree of certainty to a discrete range of time. In this instance we can now use the date we have for finds in context 7 to date other sites and sequences. In practice a huge amount of cross
261:
states that any archaeological deposit, as originally laid down, will be bounded by the edge of the basin of deposition, or will thin down to a feather edge. Therefore, if any edge of the deposit is exposed in a vertical plane view, a part of its original extent must have been removed by excavation
196:
are the relationships created between contexts in time, representing the chronological order in which they were created. One example would be a ditch and the back-fill of said ditch. The temporal relationship of "the fill" context to the ditch "cut" context is such that "the fill" occurred later in
183:
of each find is vital in enabling the archaeologist to draw conclusions about the site and about the nature and date of its occupation. It is the archaeologist's role to attempt to discover what contexts exist and how they came to be created. Archaeological stratification or sequence is the dynamic
438:
in the context representing the backfill of the construction cut, context 3. These artifacts are referred to as "residual" or "residual finds". It is crucial that dating a context is based on the latest dating evidence drawn from the context. We can also see that if the fill of cut 5 – the wall 2,
455:
Stratigraphic data is a required component in archaeological archives, but there is a growing problem for digital data archives, where stratigraphic data are often only held on paper or as scanned image copies (PDFs) of matrix diagrams. This means that they cannot be easily re-used in further
253:
states that any archaeological layer deposited in an unconsolidated form will tend towards a horizontal deposition. Strata which are found with tilted surfaces were so originally deposited, or lie in conformity with the contours of a pre-existing basin of
187:
Contexts are single events or actions that leave discrete, detectable traces in the archaeological sequence or stratigraphy. They can be deposits (such as the back-fill of a ditch), structures (such as walls), or "zero thickness surfaces", better known as
229:
and interfacial features, as originally created, the upper units of stratification are younger and the lower are older, for each must have been deposited on, or created by the removal of, a pre-existing mass of archaeological
315:
which represents events. Some degree of dating objects by their position in the sequence can be made with known datable elements of the archaeological record or other assumed datable contexts deduced by a regressive form of
429:
One issue in using stratigraphic relationships is that the date of artifacts in a context does not represent the date of the context, but just the earliest date the context could be. If one looks at the sequence in
443:", non-residual artifacts from these later "higher" contexts 2, 3 and 12 could contaminate the excavation of earlier contexts such as 9 and 10 and give false dating information. These artifacts may be termed
434:, one may find that the cut for the construction of wall 2, context 5, has cut through layers 9 and 10, and in doing so has introduced the possibility that artifacts from layers 9 and 10 may be redeposited
179:
of the idea that sedimentation takes place according to uniform principles. When archaeological finds are below the surface of the ground (as is most commonly the case), the identification of the
412:
If we know the date of context 1 and context 9 we can deduce that context 7, the backfilling of pit 8, occurred sometime after the date for 9 but before the date for 1, and if we recover an
299:, representing "what you would see if you went back to time X". The production of phase interpretations is the first goal of stratigraphic interpretation and excavation.
192:". Cuts represent actions that remove other solid contexts such as fills, deposits, and walls. An example would be a ditch "cut" through earlier deposits. Stratigraphic
213:
principles or "laws". They are derived from the principles of stratigraphy in geology but have been adapted to reflect the different nature of archaeological deposits.
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sequence from its position between the undermost of all higher units and the uppermost of all lower units and with which it has a physical contact.
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The principle that layers can be no older than the age of the most recent artefact discovered within them. This is the basis for the
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referencing with other recorded sequences is required to produce dating series from stratigraphic relationships such as the work in
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561:"Stratigraphic Analysis and The Matrix: connecting and reusing digital records and archives of archaeological investigations"
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The principle of stratigraphic succession states that any given unit of archaeological stratification exists within the
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Trample in the base of cut 5 formed by workmen's boots constructing the structure wall 2 and floor 6 is
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474: – British antiquary and archaeologist (1811–1901) – Scottish antiquarian and archaeologist
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backfill 3 and trample 12 — are not removed entirely during excavation because of "
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notes two principles that were widely recognised by archaeologists by the 1970s:
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techniques are based on stratigraphic principles. The concept derives from the
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480:– Determination of the relative order of archaeological layers and artifacts
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Backfill of the wall construction trench (sometimes called construction cut)
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analysis. Some recommendations are being made to address this problem.
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of layers using artefact typologies. It is analogous to the geological
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the activity rather than artifacts on site by dating the individual
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Natural sterile ground formed before human occupation of the site
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so using them to date others is not a straightforward process.
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superimposition of single units of stratigraphy, or contexts.
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Illustration of the principles of archaeological stratigraphy
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351:. Here we can see 12 contexts, each numbered with a unique
266:: its continuity must be sought, or its absence explained.
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Study of archaeological sedimentation for dating purposes
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Archaeological stratigraphy is based on a series of
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Archaeological stratigraphy at the Iron Age site of
1191:
Global
Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP)
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Combining stratigraphic contexts for interpretation
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
610:Storie dalla terra. Manuale di scavo archeologico
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307:Archaeologists investigating a site may wish to
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245:He also proposed three additional principles:
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398:A horizontal layer, probably the same as 9
376:A horizontal layer, probably the same as 1
295:". Phase implies a nearly contemporaneous
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559:May, K; Taylor, J.S.; Binding, C (2023).
544:sfn error: no target: CITEREFHarris1979 (
525:sfn error: no target: CITEREFHarris1979 (
355:and whose sequence is represented in the
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
1186:Global Standard Stratigraphic Age (GSSA)
598:. Academic Press: London and San Diego.
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225:establishes that within a series of
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251:principle of original horizontality
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985:Adoption of the Gregorian calendar
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867:English and British regnal year
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259:principle of lateral continuity
69:"Stratigraphy" archaeology
45:needs additional citations for
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239:principle of faunal succession
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980:Old Style and New Style dates
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932:Pre-Julian / Julian
451:Archiving Stratigraphic Data
425:Residual and intrusive finds
171:theory and practice. Modern
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1165:Geological history of Earth
1035:Astronomical year numbering
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379:Construction cut for wall 2
167:is a key concept to modern
18:Stratification (archeology)
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223:principle of superposition
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486:or inverted stratigraphy
1265:Amino acid racemisation
612:, Torino, Einaudi, 1991
156:Neat stratification in
1483:Methods in archaeology
1270:Archaeomagnetic dating
782:Era of Caesar (Iberia)
490:Sequence (archaeology)
466:Archaeological culture
436:higher up the sequence
344:Take the hypothetical
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1170:Geological time units
389:Fill of shallow cut 8
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160:(Ceramicus Cemetery).
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1222:Law of superposition
1217:Isotope geochemistry
565:Internet Archaeology
484:Reverse stratigraphy
370:Masonry wall remnant
303:Stratigraphic dating
148:in Southern England.
54:improve this article
1355:Fluorine absorption
1332:Luminescence dating
1227:Luminescence dating
1135:Milankovitch cycles
975:Proleptic Gregorian
807:Hindu units of time
1457:Terminus post quem
1437:Synchronoptic view
1404:Linguistic methods
1365:Obsidian hydration
1300:Radiometric dating
1285:Incremental dating
1207:Chronostratigraphy
472:Christian Maclagan
395:A horizontal layer
367:A horizontal layer
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1411:Glottochronology
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1275:Dendrochronology
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110:December 2018
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65:Find sources:
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43:This article
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1375:Stratigraphy
1374:
1320:Uranium–lead
1290:Lichenometry
1088:Winter count
1071:Mesoamerican
999:Astronomical
817:Mesoamerican
802:Sothic cycle
777:Seleucid era
762:Bosporan era
750: /
740:
688:Paleontology
609:
595:
586:Bibliography
564:
554:
535:
516:
454:
444:
441:undercutting
431:
428:
411:
360:
348:
343:
338:
328:
306:
289:
244:
208:
186:
165:Stratigraphy
164:
163:
116:
107:
97:
90:
83:
76:
64:
52:Please help
47:verification
44:
1315:Radiocarbon
990:Dual dating
849:Regnal year
827:Short Count
767:Bostran era
748:Anno Domini
681:Big History
661:Archaeology
540:Harris 1979
521:Harris 1979
254:deposition.
215:E.C. Harris
146:West Sussex
910:Vietnamese
822:Long Count
757:Anno Mundi
752:Common Era
654:Key topics
647:Chronology
503:References
414:assemblage
406:associated
173:excavation
80:newspapers
1447:Year zero
1427:Chronicle
1370:Seriation
1305:Lead–lead
1179:Standards
1160:Deep time
1120:Ephemeris
1006:Lunisolar
970:Gregorian
963:Gregorian
924:Calendars
887:Era names
857:Anka year
736:Human Era
666:Astronomy
419:seriation
211:axiomatic
1477:Category
1442:Timeline
1280:Ice core
1153:Concepts
900:Japanese
832:Tzolk'in
797:Egyptian
460:See also
432:figure A
384:abutting
361:figure B
349:figure A
339:Figure B
329:Figure A
313:contexts
142:Bow Hill
1452:Floruit
1200:Methods
1061:Iranian
1029:Islamic
895:Chinese
706:Periods
676:History
671:Geology
594:(1989)
346:section
264:erosion
181:context
94:scholar
1248:dating
1044:Others
1010:Hebrew
905:Korean
716:Epochs
602:
567:(61).
386:wall 2
227:layers
158:Athens
96:
89:
82:
75:
67:
1081:Aztec
1025:Lunar
1020:Solar
1014:Hindu
877:Limmu
837:Haab'
792:Hijri
508:Notes
408:with.
293:phase
101:JSTOR
87:books
1076:Maya
811:Yuga
711:Eras
693:Time
600:ISBN
546:help
527:help
309:date
257:The
249:The
221:The
190:cuts
73:news
569:doi
359:in
262:or
140:on
56:by
1479::
1012:,
563:.
447:.
421:.
363:.
144:,
1031:)
1027:(
1016:)
1008:(
813:)
809:(
639:e
632:t
625:v
577:.
571::
548:)
529:)
188:"
123:)
117:(
112:)
108:(
98:·
91:·
84:·
77:·
50:.
20:)
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