Fundorte

Fundorte is a term used in archaeology and related disciplines to designate the exact location where an artifact, fossil, or other object was found. The German word combines Fund ('find' or discovery) and Ort ('place'), and is commonly translated as 'find spot' or 'findsite.' In English-language literature, 'findspot' is the closest counterpart, while 'find location' or 'provenance' may be used in broader contexts.

Fundorte serve as essential contextual information. They link artifacts to their stratigraphic unit, neighboring finds, and paleoenvironmental data, enabling researchers to interpret how objects were produced, used, and deposited. Accurate recording of a Fundort supports dating, cultural attribution, and reconstruction of site use over time.

Documentation typically includes geographic coordinates, altitude, depth or layer within the soil profile, the stratigraphic unit, material type, typological notes, dating results, and an accession number in a museum collection. Modern practices often employ GIS, detailed site maps, photographs, and field notebooks to capture Fundorte with precision.

Fundorte can be categorized as primary findspots, where an object remains in its original context, or secondary findspots, where objects have been moved post-deposition. Surface finds may also be noted as findspots, though they carry different levels of contextual reliability than excavated contexts.

Challenges include disturbance of contexts through later activity, erosion, or looting, incomplete or inconsistent early records, and uncertainty when objects are collected without precise location data. In large catalogs, Fundorte may be linked to broader regional datasets to facilitate comparisons.

See also: provenance, provenience, archaeological site, stratigraphy.