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Mapping
artefact distributions through time using aoristic analysis
Aoristic analysis generates a temporal probability distribution
from a spatially located population of temporally imprecise
events. It is used, for example, in analysing burglaries,
where only the terminus post quem and terminus ante quem of
events are known, but not their actual time of occurrence.
Chronological determination of artefact dating based on typology
and/or attributes shares similar characteristics, in that
we often know the range of dates over which the artefact could
have been produced, but do not know its date within that range.
In this paper I consider the potential of aoristic analyses
to provide probabilistic statements about the dating of assemblages,
and its potential to extract dating information from the full
range of material, not just chronologically specific items
which may occur rarely. The ability to combine narrowly dated
characteristic artefacts with long-lived generic forms, should
particularly suit mixed assemblages, such as those encountered
in archaeological surveys.
I illustrate the use of aoristic analysis through an application
to chronological identification of pottery from the Australian
Paliochora-Kythera Archaeological Survey (APKAS), and show
how it can be used to map the changing pattern of artefact
distribution through time.
Key words: Mapping/GIS; Temporal statistics; Field survey;
Dating
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