Skeleton Context Sheet
Definition
A context sheet with additional fields specific to human remains: skeletal element list, body position, articulation status, orientation, and cross-references to associated biological samples.
- Based on
- Single-context recording system
- Added fields
- Skeletal element list, body position, orientation
- Extra status field
- Articulation status of the remains
- Cross-references
- Associated biological sample records
Common questions
How does it differ from a standard context sheet?+
It adds fields that only apply to human remains, such as an inventory of which skeletal elements are present, body position, and articulation, which a generic archaeological context sheet has no need for.
Why record articulation status specifically?+
Whether bones remain in anatomical connection distinguishes an undisturbed primary burial from a disturbed, scattered, or secondary deposit, which changes how the context is interpreted.
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...
- 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...