The laws of archaeological stratigraphy

Abstract The science of archaeological stratigraphy is based upon a series of laws or axioms. Several of these laws are discussed in this paper and have been adapted previously from geological sources. A new law of archaeological stratigraphy, as devised in archaeology, is presented. These laws and the study of archaeological stratigraphy have been neglected in recent decades during which time archaeologists have relied almost entirely on vague notions of the law of superposition. The subject of archaeological stratigraphy should be re‐examined, particularly as regards its fundamental tenets and axioms.