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Appendix 3: Landscape Research Centre Context and Object Record Structures

The data structures used for the Context and Object records by the LRC have changed little since the mid 1980s, with the exception that many fields initially recorded in code on the tiny capacity handheld computers available at the time are now stored in text fields in Access. Some of the text fields are fixed length fields, required for sorting and plotting purposes, the remainder are effectively variable length fields; the field lengths in the object record represent the used lengths. There are a number of legacy fields which have been superseded in the object record. The original fields remain as originally set rather than being re-cast into the fields now used. The structures have not been manipulated to reduce storage space so, for instance, all material culture, human bone, faunal and other environmental evidence are catered for within a single structure designed to facilitate analysis across all aspects of the finds assemblage. The KEY_ID is represented in all components of the full digital record (Contexts, Objects, Drawings and Stratigraphic Matrices). The FROMDRAW field provides the link for those contexts not planned, i.e. individual layers in a pit, to the digital plans so that plans can be generated using SQL queries of either or both of these primary tables.

LRC Context Record Structure
Field Name Type Size Property
Categories Text 64 Palm Data Management Field
KEY_ID Text 12 Principal Link Field combining Site+Area+Context
MASTER Text 12 Reference to Master Context to which this context belongs
FROMDRAW Text 12 Reference to Drawn Object in Digital Drawing of which this context is part
SITE Text 3 3 digit Site No.
AREA Text 2 2 character Area Code
CONTEXT Text 5 5 Digit zero filled Context Number
PERIOD Text 32 Archaeological Period
PHASE Text 32 Interpreted Phase
TYPE Text 32 Feature Type
SHAPE Text 32 Plan-form
XCOORD Long Integer   Easting in cm
YCOORD Long Integer   Northing in cm
ZCOORD Long Integer   Elevation AOD in cm
LENGTH Long Integer   Length in cm
BREADTH Long Integer   Breadth/width in cm
DEPTH Long Integer   Depth of Context in cm
PROFILE Text 32 Surface Profile of Context or profile of Cut if a cut feature
SOILTYPE Text 32 Soil Type
SOIL_TEXTR Text 32 Soil Texture
MUNSELL Text 12 Munsell Colour without /s i.e. 10YR44
FILLOF_ABO Text 5 Deposit is Fill of or Overlies
SEALED_BY Text 5 Deposit is sealed by
CUTS_INTO Text 5 Feature cuts into
PRIM_FILL_ Text 5 Primary fill of Cut Feature
STRAT1 Text 6 Stratigraphic relationship with +,-, or / for is above, beneath, or contiguous with
STRAT2 Text 6 Stratigraphic relationship with +,-, or / for is above, beneath, or contiguous with
STRAT3 Text 6 Stratigraphic relationship with +,-, or / for is above, beneath, or contiguous with
STRAT4 Text 6 Stratigraphic relationship with +,-, or / for is above, beneath, or contiguous with
STRAT5 Text 6 Stratigraphic relationship with +,-, or / for is above, beneath, or contiguous with
STRAT6 Text 6 Stratigraphic relationship with +,-, or / for is above, beneath, or contiguous with
STRAT7 Text 6 Stratigraphic relationship with +,-, or / for is above, beneath, or contiguous with
NOTES Memo - Free Text Description of Context, amplifying descriptive fields with Interpretation
ALIGNMENT Text 32 Alignment of body (burials only)
POSITION Text 32 Position of body (burials only)
AGE Text 32 Estimated age at death (burials only)
M_PLAN Yes/No   Shown on Master Plan 1:20 or above
D_PLAN Yes/No   Has Detail plan <1:20
SECTION Yes/No   Shown on Section Drawing
C_PHOTO Yes/No   Has Colour Photograph(s)
M_PHOTO Yes/No   Has Monochrome Photograph(s)
VIDEO Yes/No   Is recorded by Video
POTTERY Yes/No   Context Includes Pottery
AN_OS Yes/No   Context Includes Animal Bone
HUM_OS Yes/No   Context Includes Human Bone
OBJECTS Yes/No   Context Includes other classes of Object
BUILD_DEB Yes/No   Context Includes Building Debris
OTHER Yes/No   Context includes other material/samples not identified elsewhere (amplified in Notes)
C_14 Yes/No   Sample taken for C14
SEED Yes/No   Sample taken for Plant Remains
POLLEN Yes/No   Sample taken for Pollen
SNAIL Yes/No   Sample taken for Snails
ORGANIC Yes/No   Sample taken for general Organic materials, i.e. peat
CONT Yes/No   Has further continuation text in notebook but not in database
QUALITY Text 32 Quality of deposit, i.e. well sealed or disturbed
METHOD Text 32 Method of Excavation, i.e Trowel, Shovel, Machine clearance
REC_BY Text 3 Recorded by, Initials
COMPLETED Yes/No 1 Confirmation that recording is complete
DATE Date/Tim   Date of Record Creation
VOLUME Double   Volume of deposit as appropriate
RECORD Long Integer   Record No. Access auto number field used for sorting into data collection sequence
URL TO WEB_CD Memo - URL to WEB-CD Archive maintained in HTML
FOR CALC Double   Numeric field maintained for storing results of analytical calculations
LRC Object Record Structure
Name Type Size Property
KEY_ID Text 12 Link Field to Context Record
OBJECT Text 12 Full Object Code comprising Site, Area, Context, Object Code
SITE Text 3 3 Digit Site No.
AREA Text 2 2 Character Area Code
CONTEXT Text 5 Zero Filled 5 Digit Context Number
OBCODE Text 2 2 Character Object Code
MATERIAL Text 20 Object Material, i.e. Pottery, Worked Bone etc.
TYPE Text 20 Object Type, i.e. Brooch
SUB_TYPE Text 20 Object Sub-type, i.e. Cruciform
CLASS Text 17 Classification i.e. Salin Style III
NUMBER_OF Double 8 Number of Objects (usually 1 but could be many)
XCOORD Text 8 Easting in cm
YCOORD Text 8 Northing in cm
ZCOORD Text 6 Elevation in cm
TAGNUMBER Text 6 Tag no. issued in field to provide link to Co-Ordinates in Total Station Data
GRIDMETHOD Yes/No 1 Grid reference is true 3-D or calculated from Drawn record or Random within a Grid if not individually recorded in the field
CTXT_XY Text 1 Coordinates drawn from context location
RND_XY Text 1 Coordinates generated by randomly distributing point within defined drawn feature outline designed to facilitate point plotting of bulk recorded finds
KEYTAG_ID Text 11 Combination of KeyID and Tag no. used for sorting and checking
FROMDRAW Text 10 Link Field to Context Drawn Plan
SAMEAS Text 70 Item joins another, or others identified by full Object Code For plotting joins
PART_OF Text 12 Item is part of another but does not join it, identified by full Object Code
ELEMENT Text 57 Element, i.e. Point, Foot, Rim etc.
CONDITION Text 17 Condition, i.e Good, Needs Attention etc.
ALTERATION Text 37 Alteration, i.e. Burnt
LENGTH Text 5 Length of object (mm)
WIDTH_RIMD Text 5 Width of object or Rim Diameter if measurable (mm)
THICKNESS Text 5 Thickness of object (mm)
WALLTHICK Text 13 Wall Thickness of Sherds (mm)
WEIGHT Double 8 Weight in grams
CHECKED Text 2 Record checked
MAN_TECH Text 27 Manufacturing technique
DEC_TECH Text 23 Decorative techniques
MOTIF1 Text 21 Primary Decorative Motif
MOTIF2 Text 15 Secondary Decorative Motif
FINISH Text 28 Surface finish
DEC_COLOR Text 15 Decorative colour
FABRIC Text 20 Fabric identifier
INC1 Text 15 Fabric inclusions in order of frequency
INC2 Text 15 ""
INC3 Text 15 ""
INC4 Text 15 ""
EVE Double 8 Estimated Vessel Equivalent
BASE_DIAM Text 5 Base diameter
BASE_EVE Double 8 Base estimated vessel equivalent
FIRING Text 12 Ceramics Method of Firing
FORM Text 20 Ceramic Form
RT Text 1 Legacy field used in phasing
LABNO Text 6 English Heritage Laboratory Number if issued
PERIOD1 Text 40 Broad Period Name Earlier one of 2 giving a range if required
PERIOD2 Text 15 Broad Period Name Latest one of 2 giving a range if required
DATE_LOW Double 8 Date Earliest in Years for range
DATE_HIGH Double 8 Date Latest in Years for Range
PHASE Text 50 Phase Name if assigned
COMMENTS Memo - Free Text Notes field for additional information
STATUS Text 10 Field to indicate work in progress such as conservation
CONT Yes/No 1 Field to note additional information on paper record
RECBY Text 3 Recorded by
DATE Text 10 Legacy Date of record
FINISHED Yes/No 1 Record complete Y/N
IS_DRAWN Yes/No 1 Object Drawn Y/N
REC_No. Double 10 Record no. generated by Access, use to sort data into entry order
ENT_DATE Date 8 Date of record entry
ENT_BY Text 9 Record entered by, initials
YEAR Double 8 Legacy field year excavated
SF_NUM Text 12 Legacy field small find no.
CORTEX Text 42 Lithics cortex presence/position
ANGLE Text 8 Lithics strike angle
BUTT Text 27 Lithics butt type
B_L Text 8 Lithics breadth to length ratio
CORE Text 11 Core size ratio
CATALOGUE ENTRY Memo - Text entry from published catalogue
DEPTH_BELOW Long Integer 4 Generated by subtracting elevation form context surface model to examine depth beneath surface

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Last updated: Wed Nov 11 2009