The Feature System

The Feature System

Archaeology Defined
Mapping the Site
Stratigraphy

Feature System (FS) recording procedures are designed to provide an efficient standardized system for accurately defining archaeological site context, association and provenience. Recording forms are coupled with computerized relational data base managers to facilitate research and report production.

Terms and Concepts
Terms and concepts integral to archaeological excavation recording systems include:

ARTIFACT.

An artifact is any portable object made or modified by human activities.

ASSOCIATION.

An association is any defined relationship between artifacts or features. An association must be defined. An association is not something that is found.

CONTEXT.

Context may be found or it may be defined. Context may also be primary or secondary.

-FOUND CONTEXT.

This label is dependent upon recognition of a bounded cultural features, and this in turn is dependent upon recovery of artifacts IN SITU.

-DEFINED CONEXT.

This label requires that the extent of diffuse or unbounded cultural be defined, subjectively or objectively.

-PRIMARY CONTEXT.

This pattern is the direct result of specific human activities at a particular site, on a specific surface, over a short span of time.

-SECONDARY CONEXT.

This pattern is only indirectly a result of the original human activity, and may in fact be due to considerable cultural or natural disturbance after having been laid down in the archaeological site.

DATUM.

This is the designated point on a site from which all vertical and horizontal measurements or provenience are taken. Datums may be

-PRIMARY.

The initial or principal point from which all vertical and horizontal measurements of provenience are taken.

-SCONDARY.

A second datum set up to facilitate taking of vertical and horizontal measurements. This datum is created for convenience, usually because of significant changes of slope on the site surface.

FEATURE.

A feature is literally anything you feel is pertinent to note or to refer to in your observations. Features seem to indicate connection or association between phenomena observed in the archaeological record. Feature may be cultural or noncultural, and may be bounded or diffuse.

-CULTURAL.

Cultural features have residue of human activity, produced either intentionally or unintentionally.

-NONCULTURAL.

Noncultural phenomena that cannot be attributed directly nor indirectly to human activity.

-BOUNDED.

This is a cultural feature with easily defined extent (e.g., a firepit or a living floor).

-UNBOUNDED.

A cultural feature that cannot be clearly defined by the observor (e.g., increasing and decreasing densities of artifacts or diffuse lensing of noncultural depositional layers).

FIELD SPECIMEN NUMBER (FS).

The Field Specimen Number of "FS" is the single most important provenience distinction in the recording system after recognition of the feature designation. This number is unique to Feature and excavation level. Artifacts, ecofacts and naturefacts removed from each excavation level are placed in separate excavation bags that are given distinct field specimen numbers. Each artifact will be given a distinct suffix within the field specimen number assigned to the excavation level or feature bag. Complete labeling for an FS bag is shown below:

FS 165 - 16

145N 116E

LEVEL 45-50 cm

F24/13

6/19/92

BDS

FS= Field Specimen

165= sequentially given field specimen number

-16= unique designation for an artifact from the FS165 field specimen lot

145N= SW unit corner on N line at 145 meters north of primary datum

116E= SW unit corner on E line at 116 meters east of primary datum

LEVEL= 45-50 cm= artifacts removed from excavation level 45-50 cm below either the unit datum (b.u.d.) or the site primary datum (b.s.d.)

F24/13= artifacts removed from Feature 24 of Feature 13

6/19/92= placement of artifacts in the field specimen bag

BDS= initials of the excavator who placed artifacts in the field specimen bag and stapled it shut

IN SITU.

Artifacts are found in primary cultural context in a pattern directly representative of past human activities.

PROVENIENCE.

The exact vertical and horizontal measurement of an artifact or feature in an archaeological site.

Feature System Practical Methodology
The Feature System was developed by Professor Jesse D. Jennings, University of Utah, to systematize the complex process of archaeological excavation. It was and is a unique approach to excavation, and instills careful recording and puts considerable emphasis on the excavator "remaining in control" of site excavation, i.e. in control of destruction of the archaeological record. Every site excavated, every feature exposed and removed, constitutes destruction of a unique resource. The feature system strives to maintain accurate recording of that destruction, and aids in construction of accurate inferences and analytical decisions.

The ISU feature system carries Jennings' original concept over into computerized analyses, and extends a system intended for field excavation into the laboratory as the most effective means of documenting data analysis. Handwritten field forms are continued as handwritten lab forms, and the results encoded in data management software programs.

The essence of the feature system is that it is flexible, yet systematic, and capable of handling complex problems arising in the course of normal archaeological excavation.

Operating Principles
(1) FEATURE 1 is reserved for daily observations pertinent to documenting decisions made in the course of excavation and analysis. F1's are daily logs or site diaries. They discuss management and strategic decisions made by the site directors, site supervisors, and lab supervisors. These notes declare why things were done, who did them, and why tactics may have changed.

(2) Other Feature Numbers are used as needed. There is no limit to the number of features assigned. Remember, every thing observed should be assigned a feature number.

(3) Assigned feature numbers are never "Closed Out" until:

-(a) The feature has been completely removed through excavation.

-(b) The feature has been reassigned a New Feature Number or has been "Collapsed" into another feature number (e.g., F16 of F4 becomes F4 -- it really was not different than F4; e.g., F16 of F4 becomes F32 -- it really was part of this feature or association).

(4) This mutability of feature numbers is what allows such great flexibility in the Jennings feature system.

(5) Every feature number must be closed out in the field. You must never, ever wait to close out feature numbers in the lab or in the field camp.

(6) You only write feature notes when you are looking at the thing, feature or association. You never, ever make feature notes after the fact. You may use Feature 1 notes for this purpose.

(7) Print, do not write! Also, only use a ball point pen with indelible ink! No pencils! No soft-tip pens!

Feature numbers assigned in the laboratory are not continuations of feature numbers assigned in the field. Lab feature numbers are assigned separately regardless of provenience and refer specifically to lab procedures and analyses (e.g., a flotation sample from F17 of F4 will be assigned a new feature number when analyzed in the lab). Feature notes taken during laboratory analysis are constructed identically to field notes, describing procedures, things, and features.