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Book: The Five-Minute Archaeologist in the Southern Levant

Chapter: 11. What is a locus?

DOI: 10.1558/equinox.27858

Blurb:

Locus is a term used in Near Eastern archaeology to describe a three-dimensional, coherent space in an excavation unit. A locus represents a feature such as a wall, pit, floor, or installation or a distinct collection of materials such as destruction debris or soil layer that have been excavated by archaeologists. It forms its own entity and consists of related material distinct from any other uncovered material. A locus is defined, interpreted and recorded by the archaeologist and not an "objective" datum.

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