The Archaeobyte Thesis: Digital Artifacts as Ontological Class

Abstract Essay I diagnosed the ontological vacancy at the heart of digital archaeology, noting its lack of a coherent theory of what digital artifacts *are*. The present work supplies the missing foundation. Drawing on process philosophy, information theory, and the emerging discourse on digital materiality, the text articulates the archaeobytological thesis: digital artifacts constitute a distinct ontological class, irreducible to physical objects or analog media, requiring their own taxonomic framework and investigative methodology. The essay develops the concept of the "archaeobyte" as the fundamental unit of archaeobytological inquiry, distinguishes between forensic and formal materiality in digital objects, and presents a state-based taxonomy (Vivibyte, Umbrabyte, Petribyte, Nullibyte) that classifies digital artifacts according to their functional status within contemporary technical environments. The result is a theoretical apparatus adequate to the distinctively digital phenomena that digital archaeology investigates. Keywords: Archaeobyte, Digital Ontology, Processual Philosophy, Forensic Materiality, Formal Materiality, Vivibyte, Umbrabyte, Petribyte, Nullibyte, Digital Artifacts, State-Based Taxonomy, Digital Decay