1st Edition

Artifact Classification A Conceptual and Methodological Approach

By Dwight W Read Copyright 2007
    364 Pages
    by Routledge

    364 Pages
    by Routledge

    Archaeologists have been developing artifact typologies to understand cultural categories for as long as the discipline has existed. Dwight Read examines these attempts to systematize the cultural domains in premodern societies through a historical study of pottery typologies. He then offers a methodology for producing classifications that are both salient to the cultural groups that produced them and relevant for establishing cultural categories and timelines for the archaeologist attempting to understand the relationship between material culture and ideational culture of ancient societies. This volume is valuable to upper level students and professional archaeologists across the discipline.

    1: Introduction; 2: Historical Background; 3: Pottery Typologies; 4: From Intuitive to Objective Classifications; 5: Objective Classification: Goals and Problems; 6: Artifact Measurement; 7: Production and Categorization Sequences; 8: Quantitative Classification: Methodology; 9: Patterning Based on Type Frequency Counts; 10: Style, Function, Neutral Traits, Evolution, and Classification; 11: Conclusions

    Biography

    Dwight W Read