The ROMFA Archaeological Recording Manual

Size: px

Start display at page:

Download "The ROMFA Archaeological Recording Manual"

Lucas Rose
5 years ago
Views:

1 The ROMFA Archaeological Recording Manual The ROMFA Archaeology Recording System is comprised of a series of modules each covering an aspect of fieldwork. The primary function of the manual is to act as an efficient guide to the ROMFA context recording procedure; this manual also includes procedures that relate specifically to good recording practice The ROMFA acronym stands for Rare, Occasional, Moderate, Frequent and Abundant and is used to describe the relative frequency of inclusions within archaeological deposits. giles.emery@norvicarchaeology.com

2 THE ROMFA CONTEXT RECORDING SYSTEM CONTENTS Introduction 1 1. Recording Sheets 2 2. Basic Recording Conventions 2 3. General Fields 4 Historical Period Table 6 4. Post-Excavation Fields 8 5. Relationship Fields 9 Stratigraphic Relationship 9 Brief Principles of Matrices 9 Physical Relationships Cross Referencing Fields Context Register Sheets Deposit Sheets Cut Sheets Excavation and Recording of Human Burials 38 ROMFA Skeleton Sheet 45 Human Skeletal Remains Identification Diagram Masonry Sheets Timber Sheets 57 Types of Timber Joints 61 Examples of Timber Joints Master Sheets Samples and Sample Sheets Trench Sheets Standard Finds Recovery on Archaeological Sites 73 On Site Finds Packaging Photographic Recording on Archaeological Sites 78 Photographic Sheets Archaeological Site Drawings 85 Essential Site Drawing Conventions and Procedures 89 Practical Guidelines for Section Drawings 98 Planning Methods 101 Taking Levels 107

74 ROMFA RECORDING SYSTEM - V location, such as a particular trench or area within a trench) or to allow for a more detailed record of a particular deposit. Always consult with your Supervisor before assigning context numbers to such deposits to ensure that a consistent approach is employed throughout the duration of the project. Horizons Depth TOPSOIL 0.15 OF STUBBLE BURNING. BRICK RUBBLE 0.15 Compaction/Colour/Composition/Further Comments AN ACTIVE, FRIABLE, MID BROWN SANDY LOAM, EVIDENCE CONSOLIDATION SPREAD CLOSE TO FIELD ENTRANCE-WAY FIRM, MID-ORANGEY-BROWN SILTY-SAND, OCC. ROOTLETS SUBSOIL (105) AND CHARCOAL FLECKS. MOD. SMALL STONES (IRREG.). HAS DIFFUSE BOUNDARY WITH COLLUVIUM BELOW. SOME SLAG FRAGS COLLECTED DURING MACHINING SOFT, PALE-GREY SANDY-SILT. STERILE. GETS COLLUVIUM DEEPER AT VERY END (N.E END) OF THE TRENCH (0.45M). NATURAL LOOSE, BRIGHT-ORANGE SAND. OCC. STRIPING OF PALE YELLOW SILTY-SAND CONTEXT ASSIGNED FEATURES All features discovered by the trench should be listed here MODERN/NATURAL FEATURES Modern/natural features should be described and summarised in the free text part of the sheet if context numbers were not assigned to them. Context Assigned Features: PIT [06], POSTHOLE [11], DITCH [14], DISCRETE ASHY LAYER (17) Further Description, Interpretation & Discussion : PLOUGH SCARS IN THE SURFACE OF THE SUBSOIL UP TO 0.10M DEEP. FREQUENT AMORPHOUS ROOT ACTION NOTED DURING MACHINING OF SUBSOIL AT NORTHERN END OF THE TRENCH. FIELD DRAIN RUNNING E TO W AT N. END OF THE TRENCH. PIT [06] CONTAINED FREQ. BURNT FLINT + SEALED BELOW ASHY LAYER (17). DITCH [14] V-SHAPED IN PROFILE, 1M WIDE + X4?ROMANO-BRITISH POT FRAGS RECOVERED FROM UPPER FILL (15) LEVEL INFORMATION Particularly when scale drawings are unnecessary as part of the trench record it is vital that level information is still recorded as part of an annotated sketch on this sheet. Often trenches will be placed on sloping ground and an appropriate number of levels should be made to allow for the top of the trench to be compared with its depth along its full length. giles.emery@norvicarchaeology.com 72

100

101

102

103

104

105

106

107

108

109

Recording Guide. Please use black ink and write nice and clearly: the information gets photocopied and needs to be clear

Recording Guide. Please use black ink and write nice and clearly: the information gets photocopied and needs to be clear Recording Guide Accurate and thorough recording is crucial in archaeology because the process of excavation is destructive. We cannot recover missed information once a test pit has been finished. Archaeologists