A analysis technique invented by local archaeologist Edward Harris has been introduced in a forensics textbook.

The Harris Matrix has long been used to forensically investigate sites as varied as mass graves and monuments but its inclusion in the third edition of Forensic Fire Scene Reconstruction marks the first time the method has appeared in such a publication.

The textbook was printed last year by Professor David Icove of the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, along with his colleagues John Dehaan and Gerald Haynes.

Dr Harris will discuss the use of the Harris Matrix in documenting fire scenes at a September meeting of The International Symposium on Fire Investigation Science and Technology at the University of Maryland.

The Harris Matrix, which is used to interpret and record the successions of layers at a site, was pioneered by Dr Harris in 1973.