Site archive
Definition
The complete record of a forensic excavation: field notebooks, context sheets, photographic record, sample register, finds catalogue, and digital survey data. In legal proceedings the archive is the primary evidence; the report is a summary interpretation of it. Both must be retained and may be subject to disclosure.
- Primary evidence role
- The archive is the primary evidence in legal proceedings; the report is a summary interpretation of it.
- Disclosure requirement
- Both the archive and the report may be subject to disclosure in legal proceedings.
- Key components
- Field records, photographic log, drawn plans and sections, Harris Matrix, finds and sample registers, digital data, specialist reports.
Common questions
What documents make up a site archive?+
A site archive includes field notebooks, context sheets, photographic records, drawn plans and sections, Harris Matrix, finds register, sample register, and any specialist reports. Together, these form the complete record of the excavation.
Why is the site archive important in legal proceedings?+
The archive is the primary legal evidence for the excavation. The written report is only a summary interpretation of the archive. Both the archive and the report must be retained and are subject to disclosure in court.
Who is responsible for maintaining the site archive?+
The excavation team is responsible for creating and preserving the archive during fieldwork. Once created, the archive becomes the legal exhibit for the excavation and must be kept intact for potential disclosure or future reference.
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...
- CPR Part 35 (England and Wales)
- The Civil Procedure Rules Part 35 that governs expert witnesses in civil proceedings in England and Wales. The equivalent for criminal proceedings...
- Factual section
- The portion of a forensic report that records observed data without interpretation: dimensions, photographs, context descriptions, sample inventory, analytical raw results. This...
- FRE 702
- Federal Rule of Evidence 702, the US statutory basis for expert testimony admissibility. Amended in 2000 and again in 2023 to reflect...
- Interpretive section
- The portion of the report where the expert explains what the facts mean: the mechanism that created the observed pattern, what the...
- 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...
- 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...
- Terminus post quem / ante quem
- Latin terms for the earliest possible date (TPQ) and latest possible date (TAQ) of an event, derived from contextual or artefactual evidence....
Explained in these topics
- Single-Context Recording SystemThe complete collection of site records: context sheets, photographic log, drawn plans and sections, Harris Matrix, finds register, sample register, and any sp...
- Report Writing and Evidential StandardsThe complete record of a forensic excavation: field notebooks, context sheets, photographic record, sample register, finds catalogue, and digital survey data....