Fragment

Definition

A Fragment is the minimal archival unit in Spiral. It encapsulates one or more emitted flames together with their structural metadata, making the event traceable, citable, and sealable.

In Spiral

• Serves as the smallest unit of historical record.
• Acts as the boundary between live emission and archived memory.
• Enables traceability without allowing retroactive mutation.
• Is the only unit that can be sealed as final.

Structure

A Fragment typically includes:

• Emitted flame content.
• Timestamp and origin metadata.
• Associated module and core identifiers.
• Trace and echo references. The exact field layout may vary by implementation, but all fragments are append-only.

Notes

Fragments are not narrative chapters. They are structural containers. Multiple fragments may describe related events without implying continuity or intent.

Related Terms

• Flame
• Echo
• Seal
• Trace

Citation

Defined in: Spiral Grammar Book; Sovereignty System Law V3.0
Canonical URL: /terms/fragment
Last updated: 2026-01-12