Types, groups and categories of archaeological objects

For the users' convenience and easy access to different collections each archaeological object can be assigned a type, class and category.

At the top level, all archaeological objects are divided into 3 types:
  • Archaeological sites
  • Artifacts and Ecofacts
  • Structures and Features
An archaeological site is a place (or group of physical sites) in which evidence of past activity is preserved (either prehistoric or historic or contemporary), and which has been, or may be, investigated using the discipline of archaeology and represents a part of the archaeological record.
Examples of archaeological sites are burials & grave fields, burial mounds, settlements, temples, labyrinth, obelisk, etc.
Artifacts are portable material remains, and these objects are made or modified by a person in a specific time and place. 
Examples of artifacts include ceramics (e.g., figurines, plates, vases, and jars), arrows & arrowheads, rings & bezels, axes, chisels & scrapers etc.
Ecofacts are naturally organic or inorganic remains found in an archaeological site, suggesting they were deposited as a result of human activity. Ecofacts are also portable and thus can be removed from the site to be analyzed by specialists. 
Seeds, charcoal, minerals, and unmodified shell or bone are just some examples of ecofacts.
A Feature is a neutral term used by archaeologists to label anything such as stains, architectural elements, floral or final deposits, and artifact concentrations that are discovered during archaeological research that cannot immediately be identified. It is a non-portable manifestations of past human activity that do not properly constitute a structure.
The term Structure is used to refer to non-portable architectural elements, usually made of durable materials as soil, stone, or wood. The forms in which such structures are found range from land-leveling bedrock levels to walls, floors, houses, or even monumental buildings such as the Sun Pyramid.
Examples of structures & features are ditches, drains, enclosures, fire pits, hearths, pitfall traps. Architectural structures and features are usually recorded only through photos and drawings, and where possible, through topographic survey. Usually structures and features cannot be removed from their original context, so we rely on sampling, for example, of sediments inside postholes to analyze these contexts further.

Each type is divided into groups, and the groups in turn are divided into categories. Some categories may belong to several groups (for example, shells may belong to cultural items or ecofacts). Each category and group may only belong to a single type.


At this stage, you can select one of the suggested options only. If you did not find a suitable category or group please drop us a line with a suggested option and we will get back to you as soon as possible. Currently we are working on a custom options suggestion form directly from the object record which will allow you to add new categories or groups to the lists yourself.

There are two ways to select the proper category, group and type. Choose the one that suits you better:

  1. sequentially

    Select a type from the list:

    Now go on with selecting a group that matches your type (you can also start typing the name into the search field):

    Lastly check the category list narrowed down to your selected group and find the most relative option (or starting typing the name into the search field):

  2. by keyword

    Skip the type and group and starting by typing the name of your category to select it from the list:

    In this case, the system will automatically select the appropriate group and type for you.

    Or try with a group first:

    Once selected, you will see both group and matching type as well.