Giorgio Buccellati, Critique of Archaeological Reason
Excerpts and Synopses

Harris


Excerpts from 1975 "The Stratigraphic Sequence: A Question of Time"


Stratigraphy:
is the descriptive study of archaeological strata (the smallest recognized division of a site, physical or otherwise, generically referred to as 'layers'), their occurrence, soil or filling content, artefact content, succession, and classification with a view to arranging them in a chronological sequence. Stratigraphy is not a principle but rather an area of study.
Stratification:
is any number of relatable deposits of archaeological strata which are the result of 'successive operations either of nature or mankind (Wheeler in Rapport and Wright 1963: 47).
The Principle of Stratigraphy:
the principle of stratigraphy is that an object left on or in the soil at any given time will be found at a lower level than one deposited later.
Stratigraphic Sequence
The redefinition of 'stratification' necessitates the use of the stratigraphic sequence which is a name for the relative chronology of a site as deduced from its stratification. Constructed by the rearrangement of stratification it is a statement in four dimensions, the fourth being Time which has an 'event' as its smallest element.