Hi Francis,
The use of overlapping dates is, to my mind and indeed the EH period list, totally acceptable. The problem arises when searching. If the search query is not rigorous then you can retrieve false hits. For example in the EH database the end of the Roman period is set at 410. The same date is used for the start of the Early Medieval period. If a search is carried out which asks for any monuments (in the broadest definition) which have a date which falls within  the date range 43AD - 410AD (a Roman search), then it can pick up all of the monuments which begin with 410 (Early Medieval). Obviously if you refine your search by saying 'give me all record indexed with the dates 43-410 AND the period term ROMAN then you'll only retrieve those records which are truly ROMAN. Similarly this allows the date boundaries and the overlap to be stretched even further as a search for 5th Century invasion period records could be done using EARLY MEDIEVAL and the date range 401-500. This search shouldn't return any records which have been indexed with ROMAN at all.

The use of overlaps in deep time is, I feel, less problematic.

Phil

________________________________________
From: The Forum for Information Standards in Heritage (FISH) [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Wenban-Smith F.F. [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 24 October 2014 10:53
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [FISH] Session 1 Questions 2 and 3

I know this is yesterday's topic, but this is one really important Q to resolve. I had understood from Gill at the outset of yesterday's discussion that it was already formally accepted that period ranges could overlap. Allowing this to happen is not just more correct - from both an "academic" viewpoint, and as a truth about the past - but it resolves problems of chronologically overlapping periods characterised by different types of material remains.

So my Q here is, although it may seem tidy not to allow overlap, just why is it such a problem?

Homepage: www.soton.ac.uk/~ffws/New_ffws/index.html
Francis Wenban-Smith (Dr)
Department of Archaeology (CAHOR - Centre for Applied Human Origins Research)
University of Southampton (Avenue Campus)
Southampton, Hants
SO17 1BF
02380-596 864 (direct)
07771-623 096 (mobile)


-----Original Message-----
From: The Forum for Information Standards in Heritage (FISH) [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Wise, Julia
Sent: 24 October 2014 10:41
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [FISH] Session 1 Questions 2 and 3

Just a gentle reminder that we're trying to agree a scheme applicable for HERs in Britain!
Also overlapping periods (whilst academically acceptable) are a complete nightmare in terms of data retrieval.


Julia Wise
Historic Environment Record Officer
Buckinghamshire County Council
Tel: 01296 382072
http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/bcc/archaeology/Archaeology.page?


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