Capta and data: On the true nature of archaeological information

Is the customary word "data" a good name for archaeological records and fac ts? "Data" means the things that are "given" brit archaeological observatio ns and facts are never given at all. Rathe,; they are captured by the resea rcher; who seeks to grasp from the material record the essentials of some c omplex and little-known phenomenon, often remote in time and usually ambigu ous in material expression. We should prefer to use the better word "capta, " the things that have been captured, and to realize that this word capture s the essence of what we do.