What is a Support?

In IESP, a support is the artefact or monument on which one or more elements are recorded. Its characteristics contribute to the interpretation of the markings it carries, since form, material, function, and archaeological context help define the conditions under which those markings were produced and perceived.

The support record brings together the information required to identify and contextualise the object or monument, including its provenance, chronology, present location, bibliography, and visual documentation.

One or more elements may then be associated with the support and documented individually while retaining their precise relationship to it.