Introduction

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A double theoretical aim

Thes UGR system rests on two basic theoretical presuppositions: one that pertains to archaeology and the other that pertains to digitality.

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1. A global record dealing with broken traditions

At issue is the very notion of archaeology as dealing with a miriad of disconnected pieces that have to be both documented individually and brought together into a meaningful whole. A global record aims for maximum objectivity in giving primacy to the moment of excavation, documenting every element as found in its connection with the other elements with which it is in contact.

But it does also strive to provide the full interpretive argument that the archeologists develop in the course of the excavation, an argument that is developed in concomitance with the formulation of the strategy that governs the very process of excavation. We will thus see how the archaeological record, understood in the sense we develop here, may be seen as natively suited for such a structuring.

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2. Browser edition and the notion of interplanarity

The website format is the perfect venue for meeting the substantive needs of the global record: this section presents a discussion of the basic principles that define the configuration of the system and explain its full potential.

The data are accessible for the kind of “browsing” which e are used toand which we associate with data mining, i. e., searching for what is already known. But in addition to that, the UGR digital browsing entails a confrontation with the argument that encases the data and is developed on multiple levels, developing an interplanar function that correlates structurally discursive levels and specific data and data sets.

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Operational frame

As the system is actually set into motion, there are practical aspects that have to be taken into account in the implementation of the theory. The technical details are covered in a separate website. What I discuss here are the concrete factors that affect, and may limit, the effective carrying out of the theoretical aims in practical terms.