ANT200H5 Chapter Notes - Chapter Week 5: Harris Matrix, Trowel, Small Finds
Document Summary
Principal means by which the archaeologists gathers data about the past. Used to discover and to retrieve data from beneath the ground. Surface collection provides clues about what lies beneath the ground. The only way to verify the presence and characteristics of subsurface data. Data is important since subsurface remains are usually the best preserved. Often reveals associations of artifacts, ecofacts, and feature in primary context. Knowing which elements were found together (provenience and association) and inferring how they got there (association and context) will help reconstruct ancient behavior. Reconstructing behavior also depends on the determination of individual remains. Horizontally associated materials are ideally the remains of behavior from a single period of time stratigraphy and association vertical and horizontal define the 3d physical structure of the excavation. Goal of excavation is to acquire as much 3d data relevant to its research objectives as possible given available resources.
