Borden System
Encyclopedia
The Borden System is an archaeological numbering system used throughout Canada and by the Canadian Museum System to track archaeological sites and the artefacts that come from them.
It was created by Charles E. Borden with the help of Wilson Duff
in 1952 at the University of British Columbia
.
A is the Major South-North Locator - Each block represents 2 degrees of Latitude from south to north (A - U)
a is the Minor South-North Locator - Each block represents 10 minutes of Latitude from south to north (a-l)
B is the Major East-West Locator - Each block represents 4 degrees of Longitude from east to west (A - W)
(north of 62 degrees each major block represents 8 degrees of longitude)
b is the Minor East-West Locator - Each block represents 10 minutes of Longitude from east to west (a - v)
(north of 62 degrees
each minor block represents 20 minutes of longitude)
Therefore, a full designation: AaBb-16 represents a roughly 16 km x 16 km area and the 16th site found within that area.
Since the number that follows is the number of the site within an area, assigned when the site is discovered, the whole number really only narrows the area to approximately a 16 km square. But it allows archaeologists to designate a site and to label every artefact from the site.
The number after the colon is the artefact number: e.g., AaBb-16:0123
Because the distance between lines of longitude get smaller with increasing latitude, the Borden System changes at 64 degrees north
latitude, from a width of 4 degrees of longitude to a width of 8 degrees in order to keep the area within each designate roughly the same.
It was created by Charles E. Borden with the help of Wilson Duff
Wilson Duff
Wilson Duff was a Canadian archaeologist, cultural anthropologist, and museum curator.He is remembered for his research on First Nations cultures of the Northwest Coast, notably the Tsimshian, Gitxsan, and Haida, and especially for his interest in their plastic arts, such as totem poles...
in 1952 at the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
.
How it Works
AaBb-11:1234A is the Major South-North Locator - Each block represents 2 degrees of Latitude from south to north (A - U)
a is the Minor South-North Locator - Each block represents 10 minutes of Latitude from south to north (a-l)
B is the Major East-West Locator - Each block represents 4 degrees of Longitude from east to west (A - W)
(north of 62 degrees each major block represents 8 degrees of longitude)
b is the Minor East-West Locator - Each block represents 10 minutes of Longitude from east to west (a - v)
(north of 62 degrees
62nd parallel north
The 62nd parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 62 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia and North America....
each minor block represents 20 minutes of longitude)
Therefore, a full designation: AaBb-16 represents a roughly 16 km x 16 km area and the 16th site found within that area.
Since the number that follows is the number of the site within an area, assigned when the site is discovered, the whole number really only narrows the area to approximately a 16 km square. But it allows archaeologists to designate a site and to label every artefact from the site.
The number after the colon is the artefact number: e.g., AaBb-16:0123
Because the distance between lines of longitude get smaller with increasing latitude, the Borden System changes at 64 degrees north
64th parallel north
The 64th parallel north is a circle of latitude that is 64 degrees north of the Earth's equatorial plane. It crosses the Atlantic Ocean, Europe, Asia and North America....
latitude, from a width of 4 degrees of longitude to a width of 8 degrees in order to keep the area within each designate roughly the same.