Matrix/Harris Matrix
A Harris matrix from the 2006 Prescot Street evaluation, demonstrating the relationship between different contexts.
Stratification is a by-product of human activity – the creation of archaeological contexts. A matrix is a method of recording the sequence of deposition of these contexts – the stratigraphy on site – in their relative sequential order which can be recorded as the excavation progresses.
The Harris Matrix was invented in 1973 in the UK by Dr Edward Cecil Harris and consists of a form used to record the stratigraphic relationship between archaeological contexts. The use of the Harris Matrix allows the division of the activity on site into phases, or periods, which may later be revised depending on the subsequent artefactual analysis.