Intellectually Curious

Time Underfoot: Stratigraphy, the Harris Matrix, and the Inverted Clock


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We start with Steno’s law and the idea that older stuff lies deeper, then ride into the archaeologist’s toolkit for turning messy ground into a timeline: the Harris Matrix, context by context. You’ll learn why physical height isn’t a guaranteed guide to age, what reverse or inverted stratigraphy looks like in the real world, and how deposits can be disturbed by people and nature to flip the apparent order. We’ll unpack common pitfalls—palimpsests, bioturbation, and redeposited fills—and show how multiple dating methods and careful context work together to anchor robust chronologies beneath our feet.


Note: This podcast was AI-generated, and sometimes AI can make mistakes. Please double-check any critical information.

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Intellectually CuriousBy Mike Breault