Site Inventory Electronic Database

A relational database for archaeological data from American Samoa. The relational databases consists of data content fields and the data (entities of information) entered into them, together with the relationship between them. Fields can be of different types, such as character (or textual_, numeric (as in measurements), dates, simple present-not present notation, or others. A relational database for archaeological materials involves three core data components:provenience data (multiple location fields, from island down to three-dimensional location within a site); chronological data (age of specimens within a time-based framework); and object description, which is the most complex component. The latter category involves numerous fields and relational tables to incorporate the assorted relevant data, such as: the range of artifact types and subtypes (e.g. adzes, scrapers, fishhooks, etc.) known for the islands and the multiple variables of potential interest for each artifact class (e.g. material, attributes, metrics (key dimensions), and much more). Project funding was provided in part by a Historic Preservation Fund grant to the American Samoa Historic Preservation Office, Executive Offices of the Governor, administered by the Pacific West Regional Office, National Park Service, U.S. Department of Interior (grant number 60-10-21958).

Site Inventory Electronic Database

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