RELATIVE, (stratification)- the laying down or depositing of strata or layers (also called deposits) one above the other. A succession of layers should provide a relative chronological sequence, with the earliest at the bottom and the latest at the top (law of superposition).* Objects found in the same layer in different areas can be often linked together in a similar time period (horizontal space). If not disturbed, object farther down should be older that objects closer to the surface. One must think about disturbances that would change the order.
*definations from Archeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice by Colin Refrew and Paul Bahn. © 2000
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