Timeline archaeology · two-pass method

Core Sample

Lay down dated evidence first. Meaning comes second, and only once there's enough strata to read. Memory rewrites itself to fit whatever story you currently believe — artifacts don't.

0 logged · 12 to unlock pass 2

Deposit an artifact

Dated evidence only: a photo, a message, a purchase, something you built, read, rode, signed, or ended. State what it was, not what it meant. Resist the word "because".

The interpretation layer is closed. Build the timeline before you build the meaning. Once twelve dated artifacts are down, pass 2 opens and you can start annotating what each stratum might mean.