The archaeological record is a term used in archaeology to denote all archaeological evidence, including the physical remains of past human activities which archaeologists seek out and record in an attempt to analyze and reconstruct the past. In the main it denotes buried remains unearthed during excavation.
The archaeological record on a specific archaeological site is sometimes referred to as the archaeological sequence, or sequence for short. However, the two terms are not exactly interchangeable as the term archaeological record is more global in its meaning and can be applied to artifacts and other evidence such as biofacts and manuports and their associated relationships, as well as the stratigraphy of a site; in contrast, the sequence really refers to the timeline, determined by stratigraphy and/or absolute dating methods.
Thus the archaeological record consists of both known and unknown archaeological sites, with material preserved in-situ; of conserved material such as artifacts in museums and collections as well as archives of archaeological research and interpretation. Records, and the physical results of experimental archaeology also form part of the archaeological record.
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