stratigraphy

Syllable breakdown

Dictionary meaning

the archaeological and geological study of the sequence, composition, and spatial relationships of natural and cultural layers, or strata, deposited over time at an excavation site; the principle of superposition holds that lower layers are generally older than upper ones, allowing archaeologists to construct a relative chronology of occupation, activity, and abandonment at a site; stratigraphy forms the foundational framework for contextualising finds and interpreting site formation processes