Feature in archaeology and especially
excavation has several different but allied meanings. A feature is a collection of one or more
contexts representing some human non-portable activity that generally has a
vertical characteristic to it in relation to site
stratigraphy. Examples of features are
pits, walls, and ditches. General
horizontal elements in the stratigraphic
sequence, such as layers, dumps, or surfaces are
not referred to as features. Examples of surfaces include yards, roads, and floors. Features are distinguished from
artifacts in that they cannot be separated from their location without changing their form.