Ordering Archaeological Data.Descriptive Ordering: Taxonomy and Systematic,

1. Ordering Archaeological Data
Dr. Ashwani Asthana

2. Ordering Archaeological Data
1. After the excavations and explorations,
archaeologists are generally confronted with a
large collection of manufactured artefacts; food
residue, etc.
2. Lots of note sheets, drawings and photographs
are used to document these with exhaustive
details
3. Though there is no set rule but in order to handle
the large collection, it is divided into certain
manageable categories for detailed study and
analysis

3. Primary Ordering
1. The first step is the rough sorting of
various category of artefacts like animal
bone, pot shreds, stone or metal
implements, ornaments, seeds, pollen and
carbon samples, etc.,
2. Process of sorting begins the moment an
artefact has been recorded and picked up
from the ground – different bags for
various artefacts – with their context
recorded
• Pollen sample, fish bone, etc., for special
examination

4. 3. Here our first concern will be the basic
classification and description of
manufactured artefacts, with the ways in
which archaeologists organise their
primary artifactual data
• The idea is to reduce the jumbled
collection of stone implements, potsherds
on the lab table to order and describe them
in terms of specific ‘cultural units’ at
‘specific time’ and ‘space’

5. Descriptive Ordering: Taxonomy
and Systematics
1. Classification – plant/Animal – Phylum,
Class, Genera, Species
2. Typology

6. Size
Type specific feature
Type : Ceramic
colour decoration
treatment
Stone implement Natural
functional
(cutter,
chopping)

7. Attributes
1. (eg.) Examining hundreds of individual
fragments (sherds) – each bearing
distinctive features – or attributes, for
eg., some having black painted design,
some having red or black band on the
neck
• A single potsherd may have, everted lip,
channel, incised/appliqué decoration,
criss cross motif; red or black surface

8. • It may have grit, fine levigated slip or
wash, etc.
2. Each of these may have distinct
individual attributes but only relatively
few of these are used for the
classification of artefacts because if all
are used then no classification would be
possible

9. Modes
1. Some of the attributes, for eg., certain
shape of a vessel and typical painted
design or decoration on that particular
shape is noticed
• This might be considered by the
archaeologist as deliberate choice by the
potter to combine these features to
produce a certain vessel for a specific
purpose
2. The choice is cultural and the combination
of attributes is the result of choice of
potter

10. • Archaeologists identify this kind of
clustering as mode
3. Some times modes become so
distinctive that they represent a phase
or a part of some culture

11. Chronological Ordering
(1) Seriation - relative Chronology of
artifacts
• Flinders Petrie-worked out the sequence
dating in arch.
(2) Cross dating – Using objects of known
date form one area – and comparing the
same with similar objects of the other
area

12. 1. Cross dating and seriation enable us to
carry the time dimension beyond the
narrow confines of a single locality to
study the relative chronology and
distribution of human culture over large
areas and regions
(3) Site, Sequences, and Localities
1. Site is the fundamental unit for all
stratigraphic studies in archaeology, a
place where one can assume, if time has
passed, that cultural change has taken
place

13. 2. A site is defined as an area fairly and
continuously covered by the remains of
earlier occupation
2. Sequence implies passage of time and
any ordering of archaeological data means
establishing sequence of pottery style,
components and lager archaeological unit
3. Localities or the local sequence – unit of
geographical space
(4) Phase, components, horizon and
tradition
1. The local sequence provide a
chronological yard stick for the small area
to which they belong

14. 2. A phase is a cultural unit in such a
sequence that possesses cultural traits
sufficient to distinguish it from all other
parts
3. A component is a single manifestation of
a phase at a single site
4. Phases in turn can be grouped into horizon
and tradition
5. Horizon cover much larger area than
phases
• It links together a number of phases in
neighbouring areas

15. 6. Horizons are usually distinguished by
some specific art style or highly
characteristic artifact or set of artefacts
widey distributed on a wide area at a well
defined period of time
7. Term tradition has widespread
application in archaeology – long lasting
artefact type, assembladge of tools,
architectural style, economic practices, art
style, etc.
5. Region, areas, sub areas
6. Stages and periods

16. Explanatory Ordering
1. Diffusion, migration, intrusion of new
element, idea, etc.