Archaeological association
Encyclopedia
Association in archaeology
has more than one meaning and is confusing to the layman
. Archaeology has been critiqued as a soft science with a somewhat poor standardization of terms.
, form a genuine or close association. Objects that can only be theorised as being deposited together, either because they were not excavated properly, their excavation records are lost or because they come from different contexts that are in stratigraphically definable phases or groups in association with the original context, are said to be in open association. Finds in association are known as an assemblage and are much more useful than individual ones as greater precision can be assigned to their function, date and provenance
.
where associated contexts are shown to be part of the same period of occupation. In the case of the wall and the floor we can say that the floor was in use at the same time the wall was standing. Associations of contexts can be far more complex and tricky to establish. Interpretive tools such as the Harris matrix
and stratification
are instrumental in deducing the associations of contexts on site and by deduction the function of archaeological remains.
Archaeology
Archaeology, or archeology , is the study of human society, primarily through the recovery and analysis of the material culture and environmental data that they have left behind, which includes artifacts, architecture, biofacts and cultural landscapes...
has more than one meaning and is confusing to the layman
Layman
A layperson or layman is a person who is not an expert in a given field of knowledge. The term originally meant a member of the laity, i.e. a non-clergymen, but over the centuries shifted in definition....
. Archaeology has been critiqued as a soft science with a somewhat poor standardization of terms.
Finds and objects
Associated finds or objects refers to a close relationship between two or more objects. Associated objects that can be proved to have been deposited at the same time, through being in the same contextArchaeological context
In archaeology, not only the context of a discovery is a significant fact, but the formation of the context is as well. An archaeological context is an event in time which has been preserved in the archaeological record. The cutting of a pit or ditch in the past is a context, whilst the material...
, form a genuine or close association. Objects that can only be theorised as being deposited together, either because they were not excavated properly, their excavation records are lost or because they come from different contexts that are in stratigraphically definable phases or groups in association with the original context, are said to be in open association. Finds in association are known as an assemblage and are much more useful than individual ones as greater precision can be assigned to their function, date and provenance
Provenance
Provenance, from the French provenir, "to come from", refers to the chronology of the ownership or location of an historical object. The term was originally mostly used for works of art, but is now used in similar senses in a wide range of fields, including science and computing...
.
Contexts and features
Associated contexts are contexts that are shown by virtue of stratigraphic relationships to be near contemporaneous. An example would be a wall context and its associated floor context. This association would bring about the construction in interpretation of phaseArchaeological phase
Archaeological phase and phasing refers to the logical reduction of contexts recorded during excavation to near contemporary archaeological horizons that represent a distinct "phase" of previous land use. These often but not always will be a representation of a former land surface or occupation...
where associated contexts are shown to be part of the same period of occupation. In the case of the wall and the floor we can say that the floor was in use at the same time the wall was standing. Associations of contexts can be far more complex and tricky to establish. Interpretive tools such as the Harris matrix
Harris matrix
The Harris matrix is a tool used to depict the temporal succession of archaeological contexts and thus the sequence of deposition on a 'dry land' archaeological site. The matrix reflects the relative position and stratigraphic contacts of observable stratigraphic units, or contexts. The Matrix was...
and stratification
Stratification (archeology)
Stratification is a paramount and base concept in archaeology, especially in the course of excavation. It is largely based on the Law of Superposition...
are instrumental in deducing the associations of contexts on site and by deduction the function of archaeological remains.
See also
- Dating methodology (archaeology)Dating methodology (archaeology)Dating material drawn from the archaeological record can be made by a direct study of an artifact or may be deduced by association with materials found in the context the item is drawn from or inferred by its point of discovery in the sequence relative to datable contexts...
- Archaeological contextArchaeological contextIn archaeology, not only the context of a discovery is a significant fact, but the formation of the context is as well. An archaeological context is an event in time which has been preserved in the archaeological record. The cutting of a pit or ditch in the past is a context, whilst the material...
- Archaeological planArchaeological planAn archaeological plan in an archaeological excavation, is a drawn record of features in the horizontal plane.- Overview :Archaeological plan can either take the form of...
- Fill (archaeology)Fill (archaeology)In archaeology fills are contexts representing material that has accumulated or has been deposited into a cut feature such as ditch or pit of some kind...
- Alignment (archaeology)Alignment (archaeology)An alignment in archaeology is a secondary or circumstantial form of evidence used to associate features such as postholes by virtue of their physical relationships rather than stratigraphic ones...
- Cut (archaeology)Cut (archaeology)In Archaeology and archeological stratification a cut or truncation is a context that represents a moment in time when other archaeological deposits were removed for the creation of some feature such as a ditch or pit...
- Archaeological sectionArchaeological sectionIn archaeology a section is a view in part of the archaeological sequence showing it in the vertical plane, as a cross section, and thereby illustrating its profile and stratigraphy. This may make it easier to view and interpret as it developed over time....
- Archaeological phaseArchaeological phaseArchaeological phase and phasing refers to the logical reduction of contexts recorded during excavation to near contemporary archaeological horizons that represent a distinct "phase" of previous land use. These often but not always will be a representation of a former land surface or occupation...
- Feature (archaeology)Feature (archaeology)Feature in archaeology and especially excavation has several different but allied meanings. A feature is a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non-portable activity that generally has a vertical characteristic to it in relation to site stratigraphy. Examples of features are...
- Single context recordingSingle context recordingSingle context recording was initially developed by Ed Harris and Patrick Ottaway in 1976, from a suggestion by Lawrence Keene. It was further developed by the Department of Urban Archaeology from where it was then exported, in the mid 1980s by Pete Clarke to the Scottish Urban Archaeological...
- Harris matrixHarris matrixThe Harris matrix is a tool used to depict the temporal succession of archaeological contexts and thus the sequence of deposition on a 'dry land' archaeological site. The matrix reflects the relative position and stratigraphic contacts of observable stratigraphic units, or contexts. The Matrix was...
- AAKU