Plane of the Site

The plane of the site of a field work was an assumed plane that roughly corresponded to the natural level of the ground where the field work was constructed. The plane of the site could be horizontal to the horizon on more or less level ground or oblique to the horizon when constructed on a slope. It could also be broken down into numerous smaller planes when the site was on particularly uneven ground or when the parapet enclosed a ravine or watercourse. Its basic purpose was to provide a ready reference with which to test the horizontal and vertical spatial relationships between various features of a field work.

January, 2003