Due to the fact that ArkeoGIS was initially developed in partnership between French and German universities, it used a relative cultural chronology based on the archaeological findings in the Rhine valley. In order to satisfy the need of researchers working in countries for which the initial chronology is meaningless, it appeared that a new system based on multiple chronologies was necessary. This sites’ indexation during the upload is now based on the Gregorian calendar.
During its first connexion, the user must choose a chronological system in his personal interface. Some chronologies that are already available are downloadable in the following csv files.
arkeogis-chrono_continental-europe-from-the-neolithic-to-nowadays-en
arkeogis-chrono_near-east-between-16300-and-4200-bc-en
Nomenclature
You can find below the nomenclature to fill the STARTING_PERIOD and ENDING_PERIOD’s fields into the importation file of your database. The examples illustrate different specific cases relating to the definition of the starting and ending bounds:
| Examples of what the fields STARTING_PERIOD and ENDING_PERIOD should be to import a site that will appear on the map, when a request is made about : | |
| Undetermined sites of the Iron age of the continental chronology. If the importation is referring to the continental chronology (-800 :-25). | STARTING_PERIOD -800:-25 ENDING_PERIOD -800:-25 |
| Undetermined sites of the Iron age of the continental chronology. If the importation is referring to the antique Mediterranean chronology (First millennium BC -999+14). | STARTING_PERIOD -999:14 ENDING_PERIOD -999:14 |
| A site occupying the whole period. For instance, a determined site occupying all the Iron age of the continental chronology. | STARTING_PERIOD -800 ENDING_PERIOD -25 |
| A site starting a particular year but finishing sometime during a period. | STARTING_PERIOD -800 ENDING_PERIOD -800:-25 |
| A site ending a particular year but finishing sometime during a period. | STARTING_PERIOD -800:-25 ENDING_PERIOD -25 |
| A completely undetermined site : indicate « undetermined » in the language used in the database. | STARTING_PERIOD Undetermined ENDING_PERIOD Undetermined |
| A site starting during a period but with an undetermined end date (the reverse is possible). | STARTING_PERIOD -800:-25 ENDING_PERIOD Undetermined |
| A site with no determine starting period, but for which we are sure that is before -800, and that has been abandoned in 42. | STARTING_PERIOD Undetermined:-800 ENDING_PERIOD 42 |
| A site with no determine starting period, but for which we are sure that is after -800, and that has been abandoned in 42. | STARTING_PERIOD -800:Undetermined ENDING_PERIOD 42 |