The penetrating analysis of the site's history and the information it contains can only begin after the entire excavation has been completed. On the ground, only the most obvious archaeological phases or major elements (such as the construction or destruction of large buildings, or the use of waste dumps), are immediately comprehensible, while the integration of more subtle information is impossible. This information was, nevertheless, noted and will take on all of its full significance only when all of the documentation is organized.
The first step in this complex process, as tedious as it is indispensable, is to establish the order of the stratigraphy which in turn establishes the order and nature of the millennia of events preserved at the tell. Their relative chronology can be recreated from all of the measurements and references made during excavation. This is an essential stage, which establishes the quality of any possible historical discourse.
Having established this chronology as accurately as possible, the analysis and synthesis of information can begin. The classification of ceramics is then begun, first distinguishing the types used by the earliest inhabitants. We can then study the evolution of tool use, techniques in ceramics, the introduction of new materials and changes in eating habits over the course of time. Many scientific approaches can be applied in our pursuit of knowledge of these cultures and their technology.