Relationship Matrix
Definition
A section of the context sheet or a separate table that lists which contexts this context is directly above, directly below, and contemporary with. These relationships are the raw data from which the Harris Matrix is built.
- Field
- Archaeological recording
- Records
- Above, below, contemporary links
- Feeds
- Harris Matrix
- Format
- Context sheet section or table
Common questions
How is the relationship matrix used once recorded?+
Post-excavation, the stratigraphic relationships noted on each context sheet are collated and converted into the site's Harris Matrix, which shows the sequence of deposition and cut events.
What happens if a context's relationship is not recorded during excavation?+
Once a context is removed, its physical relationship to neighbouring contexts cannot be re-established, so an unrecorded relationship becomes a permanent gap in the site's sequence.
Related terms
- Context Number
- A unique integer assigned to each discrete stratigraphic unit at the moment of identification. Numbers are sequential and non-reusable. Even if a...
- 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...
- 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...