The detailed drawing of a burial site in progress. All excavated structures are drawn to scale in order to record all their details.
The complexity of a stratified site, like that of the Hârsova tell, and the great quantity of information it yields demands a rigorous and versatile system of data collection. Each stratigraphic element is thus numbered and given a description on standardized printed cards in order to avoid the omission of any essential information. On these cards we can see the data relating each stratigraphic element by how they overlap one another. The elements are also recorded, which allows integration into to a general map of the site.
This written record is accompanied by contour drawings, drawings of maps, and photographs, as well as notes describing structures and their stratigraphic and archaeological interpretation.
The whole of this graphic and written documentation accounts for the discoveries made, and is the final testimony to the contents of the tell. It must therefore be composed at the same time as the information is collected, in order to give the most precise account possible. This rough documentation is not, however, directly comprehensible and requires organization and interpretation.
The written record of discoveries and stratigraphic notes taken at the time of the excavation play an essential role.