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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 "
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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
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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
430:
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,
447:
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
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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
307:
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
421:
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
435:", 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
426:, 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
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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
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404:
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
291:, 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
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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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553:"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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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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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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343:. 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
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Global
Boundary Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP)
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Combining stratigraphic contexts for interpretation
60:. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.
602:Storie dalla terra. Manuale di scavo archeologico
299:Archaeologists investigating a site may wish to
245:He also proposed three additional principles:
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390:A horizontal layer, probably the same as 9
368:A horizontal layer, probably the same as 1
287:". Phase implies a nearly contemporaneous
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551:May, K; Taylor, J.S.; Binding, C (2023).
536:sfn error: no target: CITEREFHarris1979 (
517:sfn error: no target: CITEREFHarris1979 (
347:and whose sequence is represented in the
120:Learn how and when to remove this message
1178:Global Standard Stratigraphic Age (GSSA)
590:. Academic Press: London and San Diego.
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225:establishes that within a series of
58:adding citations to reliable sources
251:principle of original horizontality
977:Adoption of the Gregorian calendar
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859:English and British regnal year
259:principle of lateral continuity
69:"Stratigraphy" archaeology
45:needs additional citations for
239:principle of faunal succession
1:
972:Old Style and New Style dates
924:Pre-Julian / Julian
443:Archiving Stratigraphic Data
417:Residual and intrusive finds
171:theory and practice. Modern
1157:Geological history of Earth
1027:Astronomical year numbering
371:Construction cut for wall 2
167:is a key concept to modern
18:Stratification (archeology)
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223:principle of superposition
1329:Thermoluminescence dating
1224:Samarium–neodymium dating
1043:Chinese sexagenary cycle
478:or inverted stratigraphy
1257:Amino acid racemisation
604:, Torino, Einaudi, 1991
156:Neat stratification in
1475:Methods in archaeology
1262:Archaeomagnetic dating
774:Era of Caesar (Iberia)
482:Sequence (archaeology)
458:Archaeological culture
428:higher up the sequence
336:Take the hypothetical
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289:Archaeological horizon
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1162:Geological time units
381:Fill of shallow cut 8
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160:(Ceramicus Cemetery).
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1214:Law of superposition
1209:Isotope geochemistry
557:Internet Archaeology
476:Reverse stratigraphy
362:Masonry wall remnant
295:Stratigraphic dating
148:in Southern England.
54:improve this article
1347:Fluorine absorption
1324:Luminescence dating
1219:Luminescence dating
1127:Milankovitch cycles
967:Proleptic Gregorian
799:Hindu units of time
1449:Terminus post quem
1429:Synchronoptic view
1396:Linguistic methods
1357:Obsidian hydration
1292:Radiometric dating
1277:Incremental dating
1199:Chronostratigraphy
464:Christian Maclagan
387:A horizontal layer
359:A horizontal layer
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16:(Redirected from
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1454:ASPRO chronology
1403:Glottochronology
1319:Tephrochronology
1267:Dendrochronology
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941:Proleptic Julian
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110:December 2018
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71: –
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65:Find sources:
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43:This article
41:
37:
32:
31:
19:
1367:Stratigraphy
1366:
1312:Uranium–lead
1282:Lichenometry
1080:Winter count
1063:Mesoamerican
991:Astronomical
809:Mesoamerican
794:Sothic cycle
769:Seleucid era
754:Bosporan era
742: /
732:
680:Paleontology
601:
587:
578:Bibliography
556:
546:
527:
508:
446:
436:
433:undercutting
423:
420:
403:
352:
340:
335:
330:
320:
298:
281:
244:
208:
186:
165:Stratigraphy
164:
163:
116:
107:
97:
90:
83:
76:
64:
52:Please help
47:verification
44:
1307:Radiocarbon
982:Dual dating
841:Regnal year
819:Short Count
759:Bostran era
740:Anno Domini
673:Big History
653:Archaeology
532:Harris 1979
513:Harris 1979
254:deposition.
215:E.C. Harris
146:West Sussex
902:Vietnamese
814:Long Count
749:Anno Mundi
744:Common Era
646:Key topics
639:Chronology
495:References
406:assemblage
398:associated
173:excavation
80:newspapers
1439:Year zero
1419:Chronicle
1362:Seriation
1297:Lead–lead
1171:Standards
1152:Deep time
1112:Ephemeris
998:Lunisolar
962:Gregorian
955:Gregorian
916:Calendars
879:Era names
849:Anka year
728:Human Era
658:Astronomy
411:seriation
211:axiomatic
1469:Category
1434:Timeline
1272:Ice core
1145:Concepts
892:Japanese
824:Tzolk'in
789:Egyptian
452:See also
424:figure A
376:abutting
353:figure B
341:figure A
331:Figure B
321:Figure A
305:contexts
142:Bow Hill
1444:Floruit
1192:Methods
1053:Iranian
1021:Islamic
887:Chinese
698:Periods
668:History
663:Geology
586:(1989)
338:section
264:erosion
181:context
94:scholar
1240:dating
1036:Others
1002:Hebrew
897:Korean
708:Epochs
594:
559:(61).
378:wall 2
227:layers
158:Athens
96:
89:
82:
75:
67:
1073:Aztec
1017:Lunar
1012:Solar
1006:Hindu
869:Limmu
829:Haab'
784:Hijri
500:Notes
400:with.
285:phase
101:JSTOR
87:books
1068:Maya
803:Yuga
703:Eras
685:Time
592:ISBN
538:help
519:help
301:date
257:The
249:The
221:The
190:cuts
73:news
561:doi
351:in
262:or
140:on
56:by
1471::
1004:,
555:.
439:.
413:.
355:.
144:,
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1019:(
1008:)
1000:(
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801:(
631:e
624:t
617:v
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563::
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98:·
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