Feature (archaeology)

In archaeological excavation, the feature is a collection of one or more contexts representing some human non-portable activity, such(a) as a hearth or wall. assigns serve as an indication that the area in which they are found has been interfered with in the past, commonly by humans.

Features are distinguished from artifacts in that they cannot be separated from their location without changing their form. Artifacts are portable, while assigns are non-portable. Artifacts in addition to features can both be delivered from any available material, with the primary distinction being portability.

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

Examples

Features particular toarchitecture style or eras such as trilithon for the purposes of this article are non considered generic. Generic features are feature species that can come from a broad ingredient in time of the archaeological record whether not any of it. Generic types can include: