Labels
- Context means all circumstances and facts that create or condition an archaelogocial level. For instance, a level of burning inside a fireplace points to a home context, but a level of burning on a fallen wall may be considered as a destruction context.
- Type refers to deposit, structure, cut or interface, plus a deposit of not anthropic formation.
- A structure is a human construction, and when it is referred 'deposit' as a variable for structure means an accumulation of diverse material, such as sand, stone, with not a defined shape nor a clear function, but still an obvious anthropic formation.
- Use is an object's function: a very decorated piece of pottery is rarely used as a material to cook with, then its use will be written down as tableware. When objects have not just one purpose, but many, are classed as 'undetermined use'. If the object is so deteriorated that it is not possible to link it with a particular use, is classed as 'no data'.
- Shape is the exact figure of a particular piece of pottery, with characteristics of its own. Therefore it is possible to find labels such as pot or pan, describing an object's shape, regardless its function.
- In this second meaning, description's type is a class of pottery shaing common characteristics. Types follow criteria widely accepted in Archaeology.
- Tradition refers the characteristics of a piece of pottery concerning its origin or the cultural influences of it.