Go back and look at the little thin 1979 Harris book. The first chapter
discusses geological strata, as opposed to man-made deposits. When Dan
Mouer speaks of alluvial sites, he is referring to geological strata in
which man-made deposits are found. Generally speaking, these are flat.
Middle of page 9: "First, most archaeologial stratification is man-made and
is not directly subject to the laws of geological stratigraphy."
 
An open alluvial or aeolian site frequently exhibits geological and not
archaeological strata.
 
I have never set foot in Texas, but they may have geological situations
there that justify what Jake Ivey describes:
 
>     The "metric" approach to archaeology is still a standard method in a
>     fair percentage of the fieldwork in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona,
>     although there are a few who attempt to dig by strats or by a hybrid
>     system of strats and metric levels.  10 cm is the standard, but larger
>     intervals are used "where there's no stratigraphy."
 
I have trouble believing that anyone in this day and age can say that there
is "no stratigraphy" on any site. I suppose they mean to say "strata," but
anyway it ain't so in any case.
 
Dan Mouer is also correct when he states that soil changes normally can be,
and are, detected in the field by a properly trained and sensitized
prehistorian. If the digger is unable (for whatever reason) to distinguish
subtle soil changes, arbitrary "metric" levels are sometimes a valid tool.
On a Delaware site, in an aeolian deposit, we parsed the fairly obvious
natural levels by arbitrary lifts a half-meter square and 5 cm deep.
 
However, as our German correspondent points out, some European sites are
dug entirely by arbitrary levels, even under direction of fully "qualified"
PIs. I worked on a beautifully layered six-century-deep stratified site,
with great obvious strata, where the director (fresh out of University in
Sweden) insisted on one-meter arbitrary levels! The quote was that you
never dig down. All that mattered was good-looking side walls and
architectural elements. This was nine years ago, so we are talking about
current practice.
 
I understand, too, that there are some Central European professors who
won't let their students on sites, in case they might learn something. The
digging is performed by laborers, with the director standing over.
 
Back to the little thin Harris book (1979), at the top of page 18, and on
pages 21 and 22, read the description of General Pitt-Rivers' methods,
which are absolutely identical to methods used and taught today in some
places.
 
Absolutely identical.
 
Some things never change.
 
 
 
 
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