Here's what the excavation grid at Occaneechi Town looks like. The lines on this map are drawn at 10-foot intervals, creating a pattern of squares. Each horizontal line is labeled according to its distance north of a reference point called a datum. Similarly, each vertical line is labeled with its distance east (right) or west (left) of the same point. Thus, any location on the site can be described by the coordinates of the grid lines that intersect there. The coordinates are always written in a standard way: the north coordinate appears first, followed by the letter "R" (which stands for "right") or the letter "L" (which stands for "left") and then by the east or west coordinate. Thus, the coordinates 250R50 refer to a spot 250 feet north and 50 feet east of the datum.
