Definition: In archaeology, the study of stratigraphy involves looking at the geological and archaeological layers that make up an archaeological deposit to better understand the processes that created the site. Charles Lyell's Law of Superposition argued that in an undeformed natural sequence, younger materials will be on top of older ones.
The amateur geologist William "Strata" Smith was one of the earliest practitioners in geology; he noticed that layers of fossil-bearing stone seen in road cuts and quarries were stacked in the same way in different parts of England. Scientific archaeologists picked up on this relatively quickly, although it wasn't used as a consistent technique until around the turn of the 19th century. Since then, the technique has been refined, and tools such as the Harris Matrix assist in picking out the sometimes quite complicated and delicate deposits.
The amateur geologist William "Strata" Smith was one of the earliest practitioners in geology; he noticed that layers of fossil-bearing stone seen in road cuts and quarries were stacked in the same way in different parts of England. Scientific archaeologists picked up on this relatively quickly, although it wasn't used as a consistent technique until around the turn of the 19th century. Since then, the technique has been refined, and tools such as the Harris Matrix assist in picking out the sometimes quite complicated and delicate deposits.
Sources
Lyman, R. L. and Michael J. O'Brien 1999 Americanist Stratigraphic Excavation and the Measurement of Culture Change. Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 6(1):55-108.
This glossary entry is part of the Dictionary of Archaeology. Any mistakes are the responsibility of Kris Hirst.
