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Centre of Forensic Science, Technology and Law, School of Conservation Sciences, Bournemouth University, Talbot Campus, Fern Barrow, Poole, BH12 5BB, UK idhanson{at}inforce.org.uk
The laws of stratigraphy, developed in geology, have long been adopted for archaeological use. Archaeological excavation in the UK relies on the application of these principles to define, interpret and understand site history. The adaptation of archaeological methods to forensic settings has recently resulted in successful analysis of stratigraphy-defining complex series of events on murder burial scenes. The breadth of physical evidence that can be recovered through stratigraphic excavation is great, and that which can be lost without due attention to the buried surfaces forming an intrinsic part of the stratified deposits of a site is significant. Recent case examples demonstrate the importance of employing stratigraphical principles in the excavation and interpretation of buried cultural and natural deposits as part of multidisciplinary forensic investigation.
