31st October 2013, 03:22 PM
one way round this old problem is to explictly focus on recording the actions of the archaeologist - ie 'excavtion units' :defined volumes of material that has been excavted in more or less discrete units.
eg "describe what you see...." ... and what you have done....
(this helps avoid the interlectual condrum of relating an imposed structure of order on an ultimatley seemless natural reality)
one permutation of the problem is the frequent demands for 'exact' boundaries and relationships made upon field staff, when in fact none may exist... there is pressure to interpret the evidence in ways that easily fit methods of 'neat & tidy' data collection.
eg "describe what you see...." ... and what you have done....
(this helps avoid the interlectual condrum of relating an imposed structure of order on an ultimatley seemless natural reality)
one permutation of the problem is the frequent demands for 'exact' boundaries and relationships made upon field staff, when in fact none may exist... there is pressure to interpret the evidence in ways that easily fit methods of 'neat & tidy' data collection.