Why do archeologists use Harris Matrix?

Why do archeologists use Harris Matrix?

A Harris Matrix is a tool that archaeologists use to keep track of stratigraphy and stratigraphic units. By using the laws of stratigraphy, archaeologists create these logic diagrams to record the top-down sequence of stratigraphic deposits and help make sense of the information they contain.

Who Developed Harris Matrix?

History of the Harris Matrix Harris invented his matrix in the late 1960s and early 1970s during post-excavation analysis of site records from the 1960s excavation at Winchester, Hampshire in the UK. His first publication was in June 1979, the first edition of The Principles of Archaeological Stratigraphy.

Why is archaeological matrix important?

Archaeological stratigraphy provides interesting methods to document stratigraphie sequences. The Harris Matrix is a diagram that describes the chronological relationships between layers and other stratigraphie units.

What are the advantages of using a Harris Matrix to understand this site?

The Harris matrix enables the archaeologist to understand a site better, especially when considering a site’s chronology. The same can be said of software. The archaeologist can translate the data garnered from patch notes (as shown in the example below) or from code epigraphy and paleography into a visual mapping.

Why is an archaeological matrix is important in archaeological research?

Archaeologists use a range of other records alongside the matrix to represent and analyse the spatial relationships between stratigraphic units, such as drawn plans and, increasingly, the spatial components of the site represented in a GIS.

What is a matrix in archaeology terms?

Matrix – The physical material (often dirt) in which archaeological objects are located.

Why archaeological matrix is important in archaeological research?

The Harris Matrix and Stratigraphic Relationships. The stratigraphic relationships that are documented as a principal part of the record of the excavation form a fundamental part of the overall site record and underpin the relationships between the site’s other recorded individual archaeological components.

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