Narrative Provenance
Once an Archaeobyte is excavated from the digital dust, the archaeologist faces a critical question: "Now what?" The Triage is the answer. It is the systematic classification of the artifact's functional state, separating the "living" past from the "fossilized" past.
This term is borrowed from medical practice, where triage determines the urgency and path of treatment. In Digital Archaeology, The Triage determines the artifact's path within the Archive: preservation for utility, preservation for context, or preservation for wisdom.
The Three-State Classification System
Every Archaeobyte must be classified into one of three states:
🌱 Living (Vivibyte)
Function is intact. The file format is readable, the code executes, the artifact works in the current ecosystem without emulation or translation. Example: A 1999 .mp3 file that still plays on modern hardware. These are the "gold coins"—ancient in provenance but still spendable.
👻 Liminal (Umbrabyte)
File is alive, ecosystem is dead. The artifact itself is preserved and technically readable, but its interactive functions, platform context, or community are extinct. Example: A GeoCities homepage on archive.org—the HTML renders, but the guestbook is silent and the webring links are broken. These are "flies in amber."
🗿 Petrified (Petribyte)
Function is extinct. The artifact requires obsolete software, deprecated plugins, or lost cultural context to be interpreted. Example: A RealPlayer .rm file, or the concept of the AIM "Away Message." These are complete fossils.
Field Notes
Critical Principle: The Triage is the archaeologist's first tool. Before we can preserve, we must classify. Before we can forge new tools from the past, we must understand what survives and why.
Important: Triage classifications are not permanent. A Petribyte can become an Umbrabyte through "re-animation" (emulator development). An Umbrabyte can become a Petribyte if its file format also becomes obsolete. The Triage is a snapshot of the artifact's current state.
Methodology: While the state is the description, the decision-making process is guided by the Custodial Filter, a framework for prioritizing what to save when resources are scarce.
The Three Preservation Paths
Each Triage classification determines a distinct preservation strategy:
Living → Seed Bank: Preserved for utility, content, or as direct source material for future application. These artifacts can still teach through direct use.
Liminal → Evidence Archive: Preserved as evidence of lost ecosystems and extinct contexts. These are the richest specimens for understanding what was lost and why.
Petrified → Wisdom Archive: Preserved for the lessons they hold. These fossils prove that different design philosophies—like respecting a user's absence as much as their engagement—were not only possible, but existed.