Knowra Archaeological stratigraphy Archaeological stratigraphy Archaeological stratigraphy studies layered deposits and the relationships between them to establish the relative sequence of past events and human activity.
Law of superposition : In an undisturbed sequence of layers, lower layers were deposited before the layers above them. This principle provides the basic chronological reading of stacked deposits.
Archaeological context : A discrete deposit, feature, or surface recorded as an individual unit during archaeological investigation. Stratigraphic sequences are built from recorded contexts and their observed relationships.
Relative dating : Dating that establishes whether something is earlier or later than something else without assigning an absolute age. Stratigraphy supplies relative dates even when calendar dates are unavailable.
Absolute dating : Dating methods that estimate a numerical age or age range for an object, deposit, or event. Stratigraphy orders events but does not, by itself, give them numerical ages.
Stratigraphic unit : A distinct deposit, surface, or feature treated as a unit in stratigraphic recording. Excavators first distinguish the units whose relationships will establish sequence.
Stratification (geology) : The formation of layered rocks or sediments through successive deposition or other geological processes. Geological layering supplies many of the physical processes that shape archaeological deposits.
Archaeological chronology : The ordered timeline of past human activity reconstructed from archaeological evidence. Layer sequences contribute the chronological framework for interpreting a site's history.
Geological stratigraphy : The study of rock layers and their relationships, including their distribution, composition, and geological history. Archaeological stratigraphy adapts stratigraphic reasoning to deposits shaped by both people and nature.
Stratigraphic relationship : A chronological relation between archaeological units, such as earlier than, later than, or equivalent to. These relations, rather than layer appearance alone, support the sequence.
Archaeological formation processes : Human and natural processes that create, alter, or destroy the material record at archaeological sites. Formation processes explain why deposits may be mixed, displaced, or absent.
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