The “matrix” and related concepts in the Chinese archaeological excavation recording system

Excavation and recording methods and their development over time are unique windows into the development of the field of archaeology in relation to a combination of practical local factors, theoretical outlooks, and research questions. The “matrix” (also called the Harris Matrix) is a practical diagram used in field archaeological investigations to represent the relationships between different layers and features and their relative ages. While the Harris Matrix was developed by the British archaeologist, Edward C. Harris, the new matrix version used in China is deeply rooted in the unique local grid tradition of field excavation and the “traditional Chinese stratigraphic relationship matrix,” which is called the “connection diagram”. A connection diagram can classify complex matrix relationships and can be designed at different levels to serve different research purposes. In the connection diagram, stratigraphic units are divided into deposit units and feature units. Feature units reflect the Chinese concept of “combination”, which is helpful to judge the nature of the features. The connection diagram meets the requirements of Chinese field archaeology and plays an important role in improving our understanding and the precision and uniformity of archaeological recording in the field, but it also has some weaknesses. Nowadays, Chinese archaeologists strengthened exchanges with Western archaeology, when combined with the reality of their own country, allow a continuous stream of new breakthroughs and progress in the field of archaeological theory.