Mapping, Data Integration and Interpretation

Abstract

Chapter 4 turns attention to the mapping process that is so fundamental in archaeological research. The creation of archaeological cartography requires specific technical skills, as do other archaeological activities such as excavation. Moreover, archaeological maps express the outcome of a complex and delicate process of interpretation by which data derived from any kind of direct or indirect source can become transformed into a carefully described and assessed archaeological record. This is a fundamental archaeological activity, calling on and reconciling a wide variety of personal attributes and acquired skills: knowledge and understanding from the whole of the researcher’s career, powers and techniques of observation, the exercise of intuition and imagination, and the fruits of continuing practical experience.