Archaeological find

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In archeology, a find is a movable object discovered during an excavation ( excavation techniques). Finds are therefore the individual, movable found objects, such as a shard , a vessel, a stone, an altar , a weapon. The place at which an archaeological find is found can be scientifically, systematically excavated at an excavation site or it can be an accidental find. In the former case, with excavation techniques, a distinction must be made between archaeological finds (i.e. moving objects, usually artifacts ) and findings (immovable structures, usually soil consistencies ( soil science ), usually a delimited context) become. In addition to the content of organic matter ( humus ), the general soil structure and consistency, the type of soil ( grain size ) and color are among the most important features in the description and definition of soil horizons and layers ( stratum , survey ).

• Artifacts : man-made items
• Geofacts : stones worked by natural forces without human intervention
• Biofacts : remains of living things, e.g. B. animal bones, pollen, etc.

Artifacts in the narrower archaeological sense are all objects that have been used, modified or specially made by humans, such as a stone that was used in its raw form as a hammer or a leather strap that was used to attach one object to another , or a clay pot that was used as a mug or storage container.

The finding is to be distinguished from the finding ; this describes the context of the find. A finding denotes or describes the structures found in the area or during excavations, such as walls or earth discoloration of previously existing wooden columns, a house floor plan or a grave complex; Findings are usually immobile.

In archaeological research, however, it is not only the individual find that is important, but above all its context, i.e. the exact circumstances of the find: where exactly was the find, which finds or artifacts were next to each other and how, the stratigraphy , etc. For the interpretation and hypothesis of the Findings and findings are therefore extremely important to the context; precise documentation of the circumstances of the find is therefore essential.

literature

• Johanna Sigl, Claus Vetterling: Excavation Guide. 1. Philipp von Zabern, Mainz / Darmstadt 2012, ISBN 3-8053-4451-1 .
• Alfred Falk: historical event and archaeological evidence. Summary and conclusion. Pp. 117-119 [3] .
• Ulf F. Ickerodt: Introduction to the basic problem of archaeological-cultural-historical comparison and interpretation: the formation of analogies in archaeological research. Peter Lang, Frankfurt am Main 2010, ISBN 978-3-631-59799-6 .

Web links

• Methods in archeology. LVR Office for Land Monument Preservation in the Rhineland [4]
• Basic knowledge archeology: what is a find? What is a finding? [5]
• Excavation dictionary [6]
• Dig technician manual. Association of State Archaeologists in the Federal Republic of Germany [7]

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Soil science field methods in archeology (soil type and color). Extract from: www .grabung – ev. de, GRABUNG eV Association for excavation technology, archeology, soil conservation and neighboring area. First published in GRABUNG aktuell 14, 2002, accessed on April 15, 2018 [1]
2. ↑ Guidelines for the documentation of archaeological excavations. As of July 2014, denkmalpflege.niedersachsen.de [2]