Each concept here is mapped to its prerequisites — the ideas you'd need first to understand it — all the way down to four foundations: Space, Time, Energy, Pattern. Click any prerequisite to drill down, or scroll for the chain graph.
Excavation is the manipulation of matter to create a space or structure, building upon the fundamental concept of building, which requires the presence of architecture and matter.
External reference — all senses of the word “excavation” on Wiktionary. This atlas concept maps to only the slice of meaning relevant to the prerequisite graph.