Knowra Stratigraphy Stratigraphy Stratigraphy studies layered deposits and their relationships. In archaeology, the order of layers helps establish the relative ages of remains and events.
Law of superposition : In an undisturbed sequence of deposited layers, lower layers formed before the layers above them. This principle supplies the basic relative-age rule for reading archaeological layers.
Relative dating : A method of determining whether an object or event is earlier or later than another, without assigning an exact age. Stratigraphic sequence establishes relative order rather than calendar dates.
Archaeological site formation processes : The human and natural processes that create, alter, and preserve archaeological deposits. These processes explain how a site's layers and their relationships came to exist.
Geological stratigraphy : The study of rock layers, their sequence, and their correlation across locations. Archaeological stratigraphy adapts principles of geological layer analysis to human deposits.
Stratigraphic unit : A distinguishable body of rock or sediment recognized by its physical characteristics and boundaries. Archaeologists divide deposits into units before interpreting their sequence.
Chronology : The arrangement of events in time, including their dates and sequence. Stratigraphy contributes to archaeological chronology by ordering deposits and their contents.
Seriation (archaeology) : A relative dating method that orders archaeological assemblages by changes in artifact styles or frequencies. Seriation can complement the sequences established through stratigraphic excavation.
Sedimentology : The study of sediments, their origins, transport, deposition, and alteration. Sediment properties help explain how archaeological layers formed.
Archaeological context : The recorded location and associations of an archaeological find within a site. A find's layer and associations determine how its stratigraphic position is interpreted.
Archaeological excavation : The controlled removal and recording of archaeological deposits to investigate past human activity. Excavation exposes and documents the layer relationships stratigraphy interprets.
Show all 21