A Grammar of the Archaeological Record (Version 2, Beta release)

I. The System. Archive structure

Introductory

Giorgio Buccellati – October 2025

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Archive, folders, files

Folders are digital entities that “contain” files. This is by analogy to a physical folder. (In fact, a digital folder points to data (the files) that are stored apart for the folder itself.)

Files are digital entities that “contain” data such as data, images, videos, etc.

The archive may be conceived as a super folder, that contains a set of folders.

https://techterms.com/definition/folder

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Digital books

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correlation of archive and publication

digital books label and directories

V, W, Y, Z as outside publication scoipe (digital books)

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Correlation between labels and archive

There is a close correlation between … [missing ending to this sentence, ZGy20 mDP]
The labels (in their primary sense, i.e., the generic labels) define, at the same time, the structure of a major portion of the archive, since the subdivisions therein correspond exactly to the categories represented by the labels.
Because of this correlation, I will describe together, in this chapter, the structure of both the constituents and the archive. This correlation is highlighted in Figures 12-1 and 12-2 (section 32.9, bottom of this page), which present graphically and side by side the data discussed below.

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Directories and files

As indicated above (3.1), the structure of the archive mirrors that of the label (4). In other words, subdirectories and files correspond to the various segments of the label, as high­lighted graphically the juxtaposition of charts 12-1 and 12-2 given below.

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Labels and content

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Correlations

    000203    within lot
A1q2-b3.1    A1 \ O \ QB \ 00020301 individual bone within bone group
A1q2-i   A1 \ O \ QI \ 0002 item lot (may include pebbles, beads, wheel)
(A1q2-i3) A1q2.3 A1 \ O \ QI \ 000203 identified item lot (e.g., a bead lot)
(A1q2-i3.4) A1q2.3.4 A1 \ O \ QI \ 00020304 individual
A1q2-p   A1 \ O \ QP \ 0002 pottery lot
A1q2-p3 A1q2.3.4   color medium format
A1q2-p3.4   A1 \ O \ QP \ 00020304 individual sherd within a sherd group

content in DOM

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