| Popis: |
Stratigraphic laws, principles (Harris 1989), and data underpin the archaeological records from excavated sites and are essential for integrated analysis, wider synthesis and accessible digital archiving of the growing body of archaeological data and reports generated through the commercial archaeological sector in the UK and internationally. On most excavated sites, the stratigraphic record, commonly visualized and to a degree quantifiable, in the form of a stratigraphic matrix, acts as the primary piece of evidence for how, and in what order, the site was excavated. As such the stratigraphic record is the key mechanism that enables anyone less familiar with the site, to re-visit the excavation records, understand what data is most relevant and re-usable for any research questions, or problems encountered, and piece together the underlying details of how the interpretations by the excavator(s) were arrived at. However, such primary records are often only held on paper or scanned copies of matrix diagrams that cannot easily be re-used with associated data. Often the key phasing data needed for re-use in synthesis work and interpretive understanding, let alone Bayesian Chronological modelling of scientific dating evidence, is not consistently documented, if at all, in archives. This results in key records being unsearchable or remaining unconnected, unused, and lacking interoperability with other data (unFAIR). The focus of digital archives and museums is switching from simply providing better access to digital archives, to how users in commercial units, curatorial organizations and academia, along with the wider public, can make best use of this growing body of digital information and data. This paper will discuss the re-use issues and present latest work undertaken by The Matrix project [AH/T002093/1] to address some of the current problems caused by the lack of standardized approaches to analysis and digital archives of archaeological stratigraphic and phasing data. |
