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7.1: Stratigraphic Dating and the Harris Matrix

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    138532

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    • Author: Jess Whalen
    • Source: Activity 8.1. Paskey and Beasley Cisneros (editors). Digging into Archaeology.
    • Time needed: 45 minutes

    Supplies Needed

    • Photographs (attached)
    • Student worksheet (attached)

    Readings

    • King and Zajicek. 2019. Chapter 7: Understanding the Fossil Context. Explorations.
    • Paskey and Beasley Cisneros. 2020. Chapter 8: Dating Methods—Relative and Absolute Dating. Digging into Archaeology.

    Introduction

    This activity consists of three parts. Each part includes a description of a dating technique, a situation, and a series of questions for students to answer on the worksheet (below).

    Part 1 focuses on stratigraphic dating, a relative dating method that establishes if something is older or younger than something else. Using this method, students assess several images. Part 2 introduces the Harris Matrix, which is used to diagram materials based on their relative ages. Given a specific scenario, students are asked to construct a Harris Matrix and answer questions about it. Part 3 describes the concepts of terminus ante quem (the “date before which” or DBW) and terminus post quem (the “date after which” or DAW). Students then apply these concepts to a real-world situation.

    Steps

    1. Students can complete this activity individually or in small groups.
    2. This is a three-part activity. Before each part, the instructor or a student should read aloud, to the class, the information about it (which is included on the worksheet below).
    3. Part 1. Students are shown photos (attached below) that depict a collection of items on a table: a cup, saucer, newspaper, and tickets. Instructors may choose to display these photos on slides or hand them out to students. The students are asked to imagine the items as part of a single context, such as a layer in an excavation. The students must determine whether the items were deposited all at once in a single event or one after the other over time.
    4. Part 2. The instructor explains the Harris Matrix to students and asks students to construct a Harris Matrix based on the information from Part 1 and answer questions.
    5. Part 3. Based on the concepts of terminus ante quem and terminus post quem, students answer the questions on the worksheet.
    6. Students share their results with the class.

    Conclusion or Review Questions

    By completing this activity, students will achieve a better understanding of relative dating techniques, particularly stratigraphic dating, the Harris Matrix, and concepts of terminus ante quem and terminus post quem. Students will learn the value of these techniques for determining which objects or events are younger or older than others in a particular context.

    Adapting for Online Learning

    If this is an in-person lab, rank how adaptable to online learning it would be according to this scale (mark in bold): Easy to adapt

    If applicable, include tips and suggestions on how to adapt this lab for online learning.

    Reference

    1. Whalen, Jess. 2020. “Stratigraphic Dating and the Harris Matrix.” In Amanda Wolcott Paskey and AnneMarie Beasley Cisneros, Digging into Archaeology: A Brief OER Introduction to Archaeology with Activities. CC BY-NC. https://asccc-oeri.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/OERI-Archaeology_Final_4_29.pdf

    This page titled 7.1: Stratigraphic Dating and the Harris Matrix was last modified on Fri, 03 Jul 2026 04:41:08 GMT and is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Jess Whalen via source content that was edited to the style and standards of the LibreTexts platform.