Page 228 - Manual for Activities directed at the Underwater Cultural Heritage
P. 228

© Parks Canada.Vertical documentation, Red Bay, Canada. Documentation of the vertical and horizontal directions
of features of a site and its immediate surroundings are the basis of all site surveys.The site
is recorded horizontally in plans and vertically in sections, giving
an overview of the site and its features.
This equally allows establishing
a topographic model for which sufficient points and lines must
be recorded to allow a complete computer simulation of the ground surface.
Horizontal and vertical recording also allows observing complex changes of texture, colour
and content of layers during excavation. By detecting cuts and fills, superimposition and episodes of soil removal and re-deposition, the order in which the deposits were laid down (i.e. the sequence) can be understood.The sequence helps to establish the chronology of activity on the site by allowing dating evidence such as artefacts or scientific dating samples to be related to the build-up of layers across the area being investigated. 
during the investigation. Moreover, it is important to guarantee responsiveness to the concerns of possible stakeholders (local groups, environmental protection groups, religious entities, etc.) since an archaeological intervention usually involves site disturbance and it is essential to address concerns or wishes of stakeholders appropriately with do- cumentation.
The process of archaeological
documentation
The documentation process of an underwater cul- tural site starts as soon as an object of archaeological nature is found. In terms of inventory and ma- nagement, it will continually accumulate from that point onwards, but it will not necessarily include a comprehensive record of the site. That is to say, it should be comprehensive to the level of what is known. More documentation will ensue from background research for the development of a management plan, for impact studies of other developments or when an archaeological intervention is planned, such as an assessment of the site for which a project design is prepared.
However, the situation is different as soon as a survey is actually undertaken. The first thing it should do is comprehensively document the site as it appears, without any interference. It is in relationship to that overview that further decisions for management
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