Single-Context Recording
Definition
Recording and removing each deposit as its own discrete unit, so the formation sequence of the scene can be reconstructed afterwards.
- Unit of recording
- Each deposit recorded and removed separately
- Purpose
- Reconstruct the formation sequence afterward
- Field
- Forensic archaeology
Common questions
How does single-context recording differ from arbitrary-level excavation?+
Arbitrary-level excavation removes soil in fixed depth increments regardless of the actual deposit boundaries, while single-context recording follows the true edges of each layer or cut as its own unit, preserving the stratigraphic relationships needed to sequence events.
Why does this method matter for reconstructing a clandestine burial?+
Because each fill, cut, and disturbance is documented as a discrete unit with its own context sheet, an examiner can later reconstruct the order of digging, deposition, and backfilling, which supports conclusions about how and when the burial occurred.
Related terms
- Geophysical Survey
- Non-invasive subsurface imaging using physical contrasts such as radar reflection, magnetic variation, or electrical resistance.
- Remote Sensing
- Locating features from a distance using aerial imagery, satellite data, or airborne LiDAR, before anyone sets foot on the ground.
- Search Strategy
- A structured plan for covering ground systematically so that the probability of detection is known and the absence of a find means...
- Stratigraphy
- The layered record of deposits. In a grave, the cut, the fill, and the body each form contexts that must be read...
- Total Station
- An electronic instrument that simultaneously measures horizontal and vertical angles and distance to a reflective prism, computing three-dimensional coordinates directly. Typical angular...