The Field Data Form

The Field Data Form (Figure 3.1) is used to record basic provenience (location) and descriptive information on materials recovered during the Hudson-Meng site investigations. The information on this form is essential, and extreme care must be taken in coding and entering data. The number of Field Data Forms used for each meter square depends on the total number of items in the square. The information on the level form supplements and summarizes some of the data also recorded on the LEVEL REPORT FORM (see section 4) -- completion of both of these forms is necessary for excavation. The overview gives a description of the level form along with explanations for the information requested and examples of how to correctly complete the form.

The following description covers some of the basics, however, it is very important that you remember to ask if you are ever unsure of how to record anything. There are always a few inadvertent errors and we have tried to build in several sets of redundant information on material locations to help sort out any problems. We prefer to avoid recording errors and subsequent headaches by working with you to assure that you get it right from the start. Don't hesitate to ask, or to ask several times, about the proper way to record anything. This guide to filling out the Field Data Form gives you the basics -- you will also be given demonstrations and additional information throughout the excavation.

Every time you start a new Field Data form, first enter the Block/Unit designation and metric coordinates of the UNIT SW CORNER of the meter square at the top, left-hand corner of the page. This entry should be the same as the SOUTHWEST CORNER designation on the Level Report form, and will be the same as long as you are working in the same meter square. Then fill in the LOCALITY blank at the right side of the page (see Section 4 explanation of Locality). For EXCAVATORS, enter the first initial and complete last name of all excavators. Fill out the date the form is started. Next, fill in the first blank of the PAGE section. This is the sequential page number for Field Data Forms from each square. The second blank (OF______) is filled in after all items have been recorded in the square, and tells us how many pages of forms there should be for that meter square. The DATA ENTRY line will be completed in the lab with the initials and date that the information on the form is entered into a computer database file.

The body of the form contains two blocks of columns. Figure 3.1 shows an example of a blank Field Data Form. Figures 3.2 and 3.3 summarize the data to be included in each of the columns. At the left of the page are 12 columns (beginning with BLK and ending with UP) that provide information on each item's provenience, or location (Figure 3.2). The next 17 columns provide a basic description of the item (Figure 3.3). THE BASIC RULE FOR RECORDING IN THIS SYSTEM  IS THAT EVERYTHING, WHETHER BONE, ROCK, STONE, SEDIMENT SAMPLE, IS GIVEN A UNIQUE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER AND HAS A LINE OF DATA RECORDED ON THE FIELD DATA FORM.

As noted in section 2, the provenienceing system at Hudson-Meng has two components: (1) a an alphanumeric grid unit designation and (2) a metric coordinate system. Both of these are used on the Data Form. This is to make it as easy as possible to catch and correct proveniencing errors -- each item has two independent provenience designations that can be cross-checked. For the alphanumeric (set of letters and numbers) grid unit system, each meter square at the Hudson-Meng site has been assigned a unique alphanumeric designation based on its location within a series of five-by-five meter blocks (see Figure 4.3). The five-by-five meter block that includes the meter square being excavated is written in the first column BLK on the data form. This should be the same as the 5x5 Meter Block designation on the Level Report Form. Each meter square unit within the five-by-five blocks is further assigned a unit number with the meter square labeled "1" at the northwest corner and meter square unit "25" at the southeast. This unit number is entered in the UNT column. The BLK and UNT numbers are very important and you must be sure that you have them correctly recorded. It is not necessary to rewrite all data on every line. For example, you can enter the BLK, UNT on the first line of the form and then indicate that these remain the same by drawing a line down the rest of the column.

The # column is filled out on every line, and provides a sequential listing of all items from the meter square. The fourth column PRO (provenience point) describes where on an item the 3-dimensional co-ordinates are recorded. The convention for recording provenience is to use the position at the base of the highest end of the item. As illustrated in Figure 3.4, PRO point is NOT the highest point on the bone's upper surface, it is the point at the base of the highest end of the bone. To describe the PRO point location, use the POR and SG codes (see below), or if there is no identifiable anatomical portion use the general compass direction, such as N (north), SW (southwest), NE (northeast), etc. For samples, items that do not have a clear-cut "higher end", or items with no definite long axis, enter CT (center) in the PRO point column.

The NORTH1, EAST1, and ELEV1 metric coordinates of the item are all recorded at the PRO point. Place the base of the range pole or peanut prism stand (used with the EDM to record location) at the ground surface on which the bone is resting at the PRO point (Figure 3.4). All of these metric coordinates are recorded to the nearest millimeter (3 decimal places). Always enter all digits in the first line at the top of EACH form. On subsequent lines, you can enter just the 3 numbers to the right of the decimal point.

The next column, STRT, describes where within the stratigraphic column the item was located. Unit IIIc (Miller 1993) is the early Holocene stratigraphic unit that contains the bonebed. In order to provide more information on the relative position of materials within IIIc, we arbitrarily label the otherwise undifferentiated sediments above the bonebed as STRT A, those containing the bonebed as STRT B, and those below the bonebed as STRT C. Other STRT designations that you might use include: H, for Holocene sediments above Unit IIIc, or S for material from the modern ground surface.

In terms of natural stratigraphic breaks (as opposed to our arbitrary A, B, C STRT subdivisions) Unit IIIc is a uniform, internally undifferentiated stratigraphic unit. In order to maintain vertical provenience control (elevation; Z) on materials removed during excavation, we slice though the sediments in a series of 5 cm thick excavation levels, which are identified by a numeric label. It is this level designation that is entered in the LVL column. The LVL is based on the ELEV of the floor of the excavation level, which will always be at an even 5 cm increment (e.g., examples of ending elevations from a sequence of three excavation levels might be: 100.650, 100.645, and 100.640). There will be listings of ending elevations and corresponding LVL designations posted for each Locality.

The next two columns, ORT and INC, are used to record the position of the item in the sediment and refer to the orientation (compass bearing) of the long axis (ORT) and the inclination or slope of the sediment surface supporting the item (INC) respectively. Both of these are recorded to the nearest degree with a Brunton (Figure 3.5). These data are needed to help interpret the deposit's formational history.

The ORT is recorded in the direction from the PRO point (highest end) along the long axis. Figure 6 shows how ORT and INC are related. ORT is recorded with the Brunton mirror toward the PRO point and the sighting arm oriented parallel to the long axis (Figure 3.6a) and the ORT is read directly from the white end of the compass needle. ORT is always taken from the highest end along the long axis. ORT readings can be between 0 to 359. Record ORT only on items with a definite long axis -- bone 'blobs' or roundish bones that do not have a clear long axis are not oriented. Enter either 999 or a line (---) if you do not take an orientation. Think about the orientations as you take them, you should be able to estimate the orientation within 10-20 before you take it: a value of 3 means that the item's highest end is to the south and tilting toward the north (north is down the drainage, east is toward the pond, west is toward the "cliff"). In Figure 6a, the high end (PRO point) is at the southwest end (distal [DS]) of the bone. The orientation is therefore taken from this point along the long axis, and in this example the compass reading is 52 -- that is the bone's ORT. Orientation data can be used to help evaluate some types of movement or rearrangement of materials. Flowing water can, for example, produce definite patterns of item orientation.

The INC (inclination) column is closely related to the ORT reading, and also is taken with the Brunton but uses the clinometer rather than the compass. The INC is used to record the "tilt" of an item's long axis. As illustrated in Figure 3.6b, INC is taken along the plane at the base of the item -- we are interested in the surface the item is on, not its upper surface. For smaller items, you may have to pick up the object before taking the INC. When taking the INC, make sure the plane of the Brunton's base is parallel with the plane of inclination and then rotate the clinometer  lever until the clinometer bubble is leveled. You can then move the Brunton and read the degrees scale of the clinometer (be sure that you read the correct scale -- there are two, degrees and %grade). The compass needle position is irrelevant when taking the INC reading. In the example shown in Figure 3.6b, the inclination is from point at the bone's distal end with the INC being 18. Remember that an item on a flat surface (horizontal inclination) has an INC of 0 while one sticking straight down into the sediment has an INC of nearly 90. Since landsurfaces undulate, and since items can be moved and repositioned within sediment, the INC is very seldom zero. The greater the INC reading, the more "unstable" an item's position. If, for example, items have been trampled into soft, muddy sediments they may have a much wider range of inclination values than items deposited on solid ground. INC values must be from 0-90. When no INC reading is possible enter 99 or a line (--) in the INC column. For both the ORT and INC readings, ASK about how to use the Brunton if you are not absolutely sure.

The final column in the provenience section of the Field Data Form is the side UP when the item is uncovered. This is a descriptive code for which part of an item was skyward and which part was resting on the underlying sediments. Side up provides important information when coupled with analysis of attributes like surface weathering or carbonate accumulation. For most UP descriptions, use the bone code POR or SG descriptions. For bone fragments, use the code IN for pieces with the internal surface (inside of the bone) upward, and EX for the external (outer) surface of the bone upward. Use EG for item on edge, RT for tooth roots, OCL for tooth occlusal surfaces, and US (unspecified) for small unidentifiable fragments.

The next group of columns on the Field Data Form (Figure 3.3) provides the basic description of the item being recorded. Whereas columns 1-12 define an items location, columns 13-29 tell what the item is. The first of these descriptive columns, CLAS, is used to specify what general type of material is being coded. The CLAS code specifies the types of information that is entered in the following columns. For example, if the CLAS code is "BI" (bison), the next column (EL) is used to identify the skeletal element (body part), but if the CLAS code is CS (chipped stone), the EL column is used to describe the artifact type. Common CLAS codes you will use include (for other types of materials, check with PIs):

The EL column is used to record the SKELETAL ELEMENT/ARTIFACT TYPE. For bones (CLAS = BI, RO, UN, UL, UD), this column is used to identify the bone. EL codes for bones are described in Section 6.. If you think a bone fragment could be identified, check with one of the "bone people" and they will give you the appropriate code. In addition to the information in Section 6, here will be a comparative bison skeleton available on site to aid in bone identification, but you are not expected to become experts in bison osteology.

The POR (portion/material type) column is used to describe either what part of a bone is present (i.e., is it complete (CO), proximal (PR), distal (DS), etc. (see Section 6 for portion codes and some examples of common long bone portions). For chipped stones, the POR column is used to identify the raw materials type (Figure 3.7). For samples (waterscreening, sediment, pollen/phytolith, insect, snails, charcoal, etc.) enter SP (sample). For unidentified bone fragments enter US (unspecified).

The SG is used to provide additional information on what part of the bone is present (Section 6), and is left blank for other types of items. Most of the detailed documentation of the larger bones, which will require the most complex coding, will be done mostly by the PIs or by others with extensive faunal identification/coding experience.

SD (side) column is used only for bones to identify the side of the body. Use L (left) and R (right) for bones for the appendicular skeleton (limb bones - see Section 6) and for ribs. For bones from the axial skeleton (vertebrae) enter A. Use N (not sided) for fragments.

The ART (articulation) column is used to identify bones that are found in correct anatomical position. ART numbers are assigned by the PIs. The CONJ (conjoin/refit) column is used to identify items that have been either broken and separated (for example, 2 parts of a stone tool found in different areas of the site, or two fragments of a broken bone) or bones that had become disarticulated and scattered. CONJ numbers are also assigned by the PIs. It is possible for a single bone to have both an ART and a CONJ number. Figure 3.8 shows the scattered bones of bison front leg. There are three articulated units: A059, the complete humerus (HM CO CO) articulated with the proximal radius-ulna (RD PRS CO); A060, the metacarpal (MC), the first and second phalanges (PHF and PHS); and A061, an intermediate (CPI) and ulnar (CPU) carpal. Since each of these is a separate articulation each gets an individual ART number. The three articulations, and the scattered, loose bones are all part of a single CONJ group (C072), which identifies them as parts of a single animal's front leg.

The next 2 columns (PFUS and DFUS) are used to code the degree ephyseal union (joint of parts of the bone that are separate in younger animals into a single element in mature animals). PFUS refers to the degree of union of the proximal (upper) end on long bones or the cranial (toward the head) end of vertebrae. DFUS is the degree of union of the distal (lower) end on long bones or the caudal (toward the tail) end of vertebrae. The PFUS and DFUS codes are:

For fragments use code 4, for other bones ask one of the "bone people".For CLAS code other than bone, use code 5..

MLEN is the maximum length of the item in mm. This is recorded for several reasons. Measure each item along its longest axis and enter the value (with no decimal) into the MLEN column. You will be expected to record all items in your square that are 10 mm or greater in maximum length. Smaller items will NOT be mapped in situ -- they will be recovered from the waterscreen and tabulated by 50x50x5 cm excavation quad.

The BR column is used to record the general types of breakage of a bone. The codes for BR are;

If you use the M code, describe the breakage in the COMMENTS column. For classes other than bone, leave blank.

The BN column is used to record the presence and general type of bone burning. Burned bone can be described as either carbonized (surface or interior blackened) or calcined (burned to a whitish/bluish color). Calcined bone has been subjected to higher temperatures for longer periods of time than carbonized bone. The BN codes are:

The TR column is used to record any special treatment given to the item. It is particularly important to note any treatments that add chemicals or other substances to the bone, which might be a problem for subsequent analysis. The general TR codes are:

If you use the M code, list the treatments in the comments column.

The IN is for the "official initials" of the person recording the item. Initials are recorded so that we will know who to ask if there are problems. Check with the PIs to be assigned your official initials, and once they are assigned, USE ONLY those initials, and NO VARIANTS.

YR is used to code the year that the item was recorded. For 1999 excavations, enter 99 in this column.

The STR (storage) tells where the item is located.  In most areas of the site within the building, larger bones are being left in place while planning for the bonebed enclosure is underway. Smaller bones and bones that could not be safely left in place and reburied are usually removed. The two codes presently used in the STR column are:

We may also assign temporary box number that you'll enter into the storage code column. Eventually, the STR column will be expanded to include exact storage locations of removed items.

The last column (COMMENTS) is used for additional notes on the description, provenience, or treatment of the item.