Breakage, bias and the archaeological surface record
Assessing the quantification problem in archaeological field survey
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 8352706 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jitte Waagen (0000-0001-8884-3704, Amsterdam Centre for Ancient Studies and Archaeology (ACASA) University of Amsterdam Amsterdam The Netherlands, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 64 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 529-544 |
| Publication date | 2022-04-01 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Archaeometry (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0003-813X • E-ISSN: 1475-4754 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/arcm.12720 |
| OpenAlex | W3204002999 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 36 |
In the practice of archaeological field survey there is a manifest importance for densities, that is, an abundance of artifacts, often relying on simple counts of objects. However, a well‐known issue is variable breakage of pottery that can cause biases in quantitative analysis. Although such issues are generally acknowledged, a direct assessment of breakage and the resulting biases is lacking in research. This paper explores the pros and cons of quantification methods of surface collections in terms of counts or weights, and demonstrates the importance of analysing weight and breakage as part of an integrative approach
Archaeological record · Archaeology · Breakage · Cartography · Field (mathematics) · Field survey · Geography · Pottery · Archaeological Research and Protection · Archaeology and ancient environmental studies · Computer Science · Geology · Image Processing and 3D Reconstruction · Mathematics
Roman Landscapes (Archaeological Monographs of the British School at Rome)
Sampling in Archaeology
Archaeological Survey
The Siteless Survey
Pattern of the past
Pottery Analysis, Second Edition
Pottery in Archaeology
Registro para la cuantificación de cerámica arqueológica
How Many Pots Make Five?—an Historical Review of Pottery Quantification
Assessing the Utility of Plowed Field Surface Deposits in Pilot Research
Weight or Density Corrected Value? Using Density Derived Key Ratio for Additional Accuracy to Intercomparability of Medieval and Historical Artifact Groups
The Hidden Landscape of Prehistoric Greece
A Defense of Shovel-Test Sampling
GIS, Archaeological Survey, and Landscape Archaeology on the Island of Kythera, Greece
Background Noise” and Site Definition
A Method for Measuring Relative Abundance of Fragmented Archaeological Ceramics
Artifact Size and Plowzone Processes
Evaluating background noise
Plow-Zone Experiments in Calabria, Italy
Settlement history, environment and human exploitation of an intermontane basin in the central Apennines
Broken pots and meaningless dots? Surveying the rural landscapes of Roman Italy
Notes on the quantification of post-medieval pottery in the Low Countries
Design and Evaluation of Shovel-Test Sampling in Regional Archaeological Survey
Archaeological Quantification of Pottery
On choice of element for determination of quantity of pottery
Mediterranean myopia
Exploring non-urban society in the Mediterranean
Landscapes of production and punishment
The Effectiveness of Subsurface Testing
Pottery and Early Commerce
A Method for Counting Ceramic Rim Sherds
Land-Use Dynamics and Socioeconomic Change
Some Unexploited Possibilities in Ceramic Analysis
| Citations per year | 2 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2025 - 2025 (1) |
| Highly cited | No |