CCE Education Site • Module 4 • Stratigraphy

An archaeological site contains the remains of several civilizations and time periods, superimposed over one another. As the archaeologists excavate down, a record of the layers they dig through is left in what is called a balk. A balk is a soil section left standing between trenches. Archaeologists leave balks standing on all four sides of a trench to study the stratigraphy, or the sequence of deposition, on a site.

Soil layers, or strata, are distinguished from each other by a change in color, texture, or types of material culture. In general, a soil layer is deposited earlier than the stratum above it and later than the stratum below it. There are exceptions to this rule, however, and archaeologists must study the artifacts found in each stratum and its position relative to other strata to determine its date of deposition. By studying the various soil layers, archaeologists can learn more about the communities that dominated the site at any particular time and how the community itself evolved over time.

Each stratum generally has a mix of artifacts, some from a wide range of time periods. A stratum is assigned an approximate date based on the date of the latest artifacts found within it. A layer cannot have been laid down prior to the latest artifact found in it. This is called the terminus post quem.

Drawing and photographs are made of each balk or section. The balk drawings allow archaeologists to establish which layers were laid down before or after others, and which cut into others.

Fig. 1 - Sample Excavation Trench from Area TP (Temple Platform) at Caesarea

	Remains of a Crusader Church (12th century C.E.)
	Remains of an Octagonal Church (6th century C.E.)

	Remains of Herodian Temple (1st century B.C.E.)

	Natural Bedrock (Pre-Prehistoric)

Sample Balk Drawing

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