Context Number
Definition
A unique integer assigned to each discrete stratigraphic unit at the moment of identification. Numbers are sequential and non-reusable. Even if a context turns out to be part of a previously numbered context, it retains its own number with a cross-reference.
- Field
- Single-context recording system
- Assignment
- Unique integer at moment of identification
- Sequencing
- Sequential and non-reusable
- Merged contexts
- Retains its own number with cross-reference
Common questions
Why does a context keep its own number even after being reidentified as part of a larger context?+
The number was assigned and recorded on-site at a specific moment with its own observations and finds, so retiring it in favour of the merged context's number would sever the traceable link between what was excavated and recorded and the eventual interpretation, which the cross-reference preserves instead.
What problem does non-reuse of context numbers prevent?+
If a number were reused after a context was closed out, any later reference to that number in finds records, photographs, or plans would become ambiguous as to which physical deposit it described, breaking the traceability the recording system depends on.
Related terms
- Context Sheet
- The primary recording document for a single context: a standardised form capturing description, dimensions, relationships, samples, and finds before the context is...
- Photographic Log
- A written record, kept on site alongside the context records, that logs each photograph with its file name, date, time, photographer, subject...
- Relationship Matrix
- A section of the context sheet or a separate table that lists which contexts this context is directly above, directly below, and...
- Site Archive
- The complete record of a forensic excavation: field notebooks, context sheets, photographic record, sample register, finds catalogue, and digital survey data. In...
- Skeleton Context Sheet
- A context sheet with additional fields specific to human remains: skeletal element list, body position, articulation status, orientation, and cross-references to associated...