Advisory checklist

The advisory checklist specifies the criteria against the three types of specialist report:

  • Type 1: Description - for relatively insignificant assemblages
  • Type 2: Appraisal - where there is the potential for further work
  • Type 3: Full analysis - following detailed analysis of significant assemblages

Table definitions:

  • X - include this
  • O - include this if possible or appropriate

 

Overall Project Report123
Quantification of overall site assemblage by category, eg coins, pottery, iron, animal bone, charcoal (as minimum tabulated by weight for bulk finds/enviro, item count for registered finds)XXX
Description of recovery strategy, eg hand collection, bulk sample derived, metal detectorXXX
Description of excavation sampling strategyXXX
Description of selection strategyXXX
Location of final archive (digital and physical) including repository accession numberXXX
Interpretation of the overall material assemblage, incorporating discussion of the local and wider context and the evidence from the site as a wholeXXX
    
Specialist Report (material or object categories, eg animal bone; coins)   
Document information123
Title of report incorporating subject and project nameXXX
Name of author (including qualifications)XXX
Date of data collection/recordingXXX
Date of analysis/report completionXXX
Introduction123
Summary of the nature of the assemblage and its significanceXXX
Overall size of assemblage (eg total count and weight)XXX
Aims of the reportXXX
Description of recovery strategy, eg hand collection, bulk samples derived, metal detectorXXX
Description of environmental sampling strategy (if relevant)XXX
Summary of relevant context information/feature types (avoiding repetition of stratigraphic narrative)XXX
Range of dates/periods/phases represented in the assemblageXXX
Methodology123
Description of methods of study: methods of both identification and quantificationXXX
Reference methods of study to existing and appropriate standardsXXX
Identification of formal reference/research collections or type series used during recording, eg physical type series, online type series, environmental collectionsXXX
Reference to use of source material/bibliographic resources/thesaurus during recording, eg published corpusXXX
Concordance of codes/abbreviations and their meaningsXXX
Description of any scientific analysis carried outXXX
Description of archive products of the recording processXXX
Description of selection of the assemblage for archiveXXX
Quantification123
Quantification of assemblage category overall by an appropriate method, eg individual object count, fragment count or weight (eg number of coins; quantities of bone; quantities of pottery)XXX
Higher-level quantification by an appropriate method (eg Estimated Vessel Equivalent (EVE), Minimum Number of Vessels (MNV), Minimum Number of Individuals (MNI), Number of Identified Specimens (NISP))  X
Characterisation123
Material classified to an appropriate level: eg glass/colourless glass; stone/limestone/oolitic limestone; pottery/earthenware/Malvern ware; animal bone/large mammal/sheep; charcoal/oak; slag/iron slag/smithing slagXXX
Objects classified at basic level, eg coin, brooch, jar, scraper, tibiaXXX
Objects classified at detailed level, eg denarius, bow brooch, globular jar, thumbnail scraper, left tibiaOOX
Artefacts classified by diagnostic components, eg variation of rims, brooch plates, obverse/reverse of coins OX
Artefact descriptions include specific details, eg decoration, surface treatment, eg incised, glazed, burnished, stamped XX
Description of condition and/or completeness, eg levels of abrasion, brokenness, wear, count of fragments, burntOXX
Description of condition in relation to taphonomic processes of deposition and preservation (especially for ecofacts/environmental remains)  X
Description of evidence of use/alteration, eg burning, sooting, wear patterns, butchery marks, adze marks, repair, residues and limescale XX
Description of manufacture/technology, eg method of manufacture/feature of manufacture (such as thread count) XX
Integration of results of scientific analysis (chemical composition; geological character)OXX
Significance, potential and recommendations123
Statement of significance and potential of material/assemblageXX 
Statement of contribution of material/assemblage to project research aimsOXX
Statement of new material/assemblage-led research aims X 
Recommendation for further recording and analysis X 
Recommendation for illustrationOX 
Contextualisation123
Discussion of assemblage in relation to contextual informationXXX
Discussion of assemblage in relation to chronological sequence, character of site, function of features, site formation processes  X
Interpretation123
Detailed discussion of assemblage in its own terms, eg relative proportions of different types, of different datesXXX
Discussion of assemblage in relation to excavated evidenceOXX
Discussion of assemblage in relation to chronological sequence, character of site, function of features, site formation processes OX
Discussion of the assemblage as evidence for the way of life as represented at the site over time  X
Integrated discussion with other evidence from the site to explore aspects such as site/feature morphology, site function and socio-economic context  X
Discussion of the assemblage in local, regional and wider context, in relation to other site assemblages, to explore economic and social context, eg trade, supply, distribution, consumption  X
Presentation123
Presentation of quantified data in standardised form, eg appropriate use of graphs/tablesXXX
Presentation of quantified data, related to context/structural sequence/phasing XX
Presentation of detailed characterisation data (eg fabric/ware types) to context/structural sequence/phasing  X
Presentation of descriptive information in standardised forms, eg tablesOXX
Presentation of scientific data in accessible form, eg tables, plots, graphs XX
Catalogue (as a minimum all illustrated items should be accompanied by a catalogue) including standardised description of object/item as appropriate to find type, eg context, descriptor, condition, completeness, count, weight, dimensions, stratigraphic group/featureX X
Illustration; through drawing, photography, x-radiographs, digital imagingX X
BibliographyXXX
AcknowledgementsXXX