| Site numbers are assigned based on the standard developed by the Smithsonian Institution in the 1940's for an archaeological River Basin Survey project. Site numbers are composed of three components, which result in a unique number, but also allow for the identification of a site's state and county level location. |
 Standard Archaeological Site Number |
The first part of the number is the state symbol designation followed by the county symbol designation, which is a county abbreviation. The last component is the next available sequential number from a list for that county. |
The state number for South Carolina is 38 and an example of a county symbol would be LX for Lexington County, South Carolina followed by a number. |
Site numbers are obtained after providing required information to the Site File Manager who maintains and distributes site numbers. A central location provides a means to manage the assignment of numbers as well as provide a central repository for data assimilation and distribution for users. |
Currently in the Southeast, the Smithsonian Insititution Trinomial numbering system is used to assign archaeological site numbers. Not all states follow this standard. Contact the particular state where the state-wide archaeological inventory is maintained to determine what standard is used. |
