What is The Matrix? How do archaeologists use stratigraphy? Stratigraphy is recorded by archaeologists during excavations. It helps them understand how, and in what timescale, different objects and remains become buried in the ground. Archaeologists can create a Harris Matrix diagram of the stratigraphy to visualize the sequence of events, the relative age of items, and the differing spatiotemporal relationships between them. This allows archaeologists to build up a four-dimensional (4D) model o