User:Trh50/Feature (archaeology)

The article is currently very short and has no sources. I am hoping to find more sources on the word and be able to lengthen the article with the use of these new reliable sources.

I added a source to describe the definition of a feature. I also created the bibliography page with 4 different sources.

Original

A feature in archaeology and especially excavation is a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non-portable activity that generally has a vertical characteristic to it in relation to site stratigraphy. Examples of features are pits, walls, and ditches

General horizontal elements in the stratigraphic sequence, such as layers, dumps, or surfaces are not referred to as features. Examples of surfaces include yards, roads, and floors. Features are distinguished from artifacts in that they cannot be separated from their location without changing their form.

Features tend to have an intrusive characteristic or associated cuts. This is not definitive as surfaces can be referred to as features of a building and free standing structures with no construction cut can still be features. Middens (dump deposits) are also referred to as features due to their discrete boundaries. This is seen in comparison to leveling dumps, which stretch out over a substantial portion of a site. The concept of a feature is, to a certain degree, fuzzy, as it will change depending on the scale of excavation.

Introduction

A feature in archaeology, specifically excavation, is a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non-portable activity. Features are an indication that the area in which it was found has been interfered with in the past, usually by humans.

Features are distinguished from artifacts in that they cannot be separated from their location without changing their form. Artifacts are portable, while features are non-portable.

Features and artifacts differ from ecofacts. Ecofacts are natural remains, such as plants and animals.

Features are also categorized by the time period, as either historic or prehistoric. Prehistoric archaeology refers to the time in history before human life was recorded or documented, while historic archaeology refers to the time period were there was a documented human past.

In relation to site stratigraphy, features generally have a vertical characteristic, such as pits, walls, or ditches. On the contrary, elements that have horizontal characteristic, such as a layer, dump, or surface, is not a feature. General horizontal elements are part of the stratigraphic sequence. (I cannot find evidence to support this)