A new proposal for the Architectural Stratigraphic Analysis and the resulting diagram

Abstract

The stratigraphic analysis is a non-destructive method based on archaeology that illustrates the relationships and sequences of the stratigraphic layers of excavations by listing all their constituting elements, to be later represented in a stratigraphic diagram. Although the constant improvements and applications of the stratigraphic analysis in several scientific fields since 1973, this study proposes specific modifications to the current method as well as an adaptation of the diagram scheme to each case study of conservation. The main goal of this study was the elaboration of a detailed and comprehensive diagram that encompasses the entire monument, rather than one for each individual section of the monument. The first step was the identification of the main stratigraphic units and their classification based on their primary function: structural or decorative. The second step concerned a simplification of the current relationships of the architectural units into three groups, according to their roles within the entire system to obtain a simpler stratigraphic sequence. The final step was the new incorporation of pathology-related information and the addition of the missing elements as a reconstruction process. These adjustments allowed the diagram to arrange all data gathered from heritage analysis and will permit historians, architects, archaeologists, and others to engage in a global reading of the built. The stratigraphic diagram will serve as a tool to visually represent the analysis and synthesis in a coded manner, which will be comprehensible to both the researchers and the scientific community.