This manual has been created in the course of the DFG and ANR funded project 'Life Forms in the Megapolis: Miletus in the Longue Durée' (MegaMil) led by Prof. Dr. Christof Berns (UHH) and Prof. Dr. Julien Zurbach (ENS).

In the course of this project the previously used Milesian documentation system was comprehensively modernized and adapted to the use of digital tools. The explanations and guidelines in this document serve as a 'documentation of the documentation' and are intended to help staff members use the system in a consistent manner across multiple projects, as well as preserve our methods of working and organizing for future generations of archaeologists and transparently explain our research methods to the public. The manual aims to facilitate the use and to provide an overview of the data structure for long-term archiving and cooperation.

The manual and all the corresponding forms are currently available in German and English. We provide several additional documents along with the digital version of this manual. While the excavation is mainly organized by three universities (University of Hamburg, Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi in Istanbul and Ecole Normale Supérieure Paris), we also want to thank our many cooperation partners listed in the preface without whom none of our work would be possible.

Please also note: While the whole manual and documentation are a group effort, and many more people have contributed to this project with their time, ideas and corrections, people responsible for a section of the current or previous version of this manual have been listed in this repository as contributors. See also the 'List of Authors' in the preface. Over the course of time, more contributors may be added here as well.

The project "Life Forms in the Megapolis: Miletus in the Longue Durée" (Prof. Dr. Christof Berns (UHH) and Prof. Dr. Julien Zurbach (ENS)) is funded by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft and Agence nationale de la recherche (BE 3219/4-1).