![]() ![]() ![]() By comparing natural strata and man-made strata, archaeologists are often able to determine a depositional history, or stratigraphic sequence -a chronological order of various layers, interfaces, and stratigraphic disturbances. A geomorphologist studies stratigraphy in order to determine the natural processes, such as floods, that altered and formed local terrain. When combined with stratification analysis, an analysis of the stylistic changes in objects found at a site can provide a basis for recognizing sequences in stratigraphic layers.Īrchaeological stratigraphy, which focuses on layers created by man, was derived largely from the observations of stratigraphic geologists and geomorphologists. Object types, particularly types of pottery, can be compared with those found at other sites in order to reconstruct patterns of trade and communication between ancient cultures. ![]() The adoption of stratigraphic principles by archaeologists greatly improved excavation and archaeological dating methods.īy digging from the top downward, the archaeologist can trace the buildings and objects on a site back through time using techniques of typology (i.e., the study of how types change in time). Stratified deposits may include soils, sediments, and rocks, as well as man-made features such as pits and postholes. The basic law of stratigraphy, the law of superposition, states that lower layers are older than upper layers, unless the sequence has been overturned. Stratigraphy is the study of layered materials (strata) that were deposited over time. ![]()
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