Horse kicks, flying bombs and potsherds: statistical theory contributes to archaeological survey

Automatic Classification of Archaeological Potsherds

During archaeological excavations, one of the most time consuming stages is the treatment of the great number of pottery sherds found on the site (labelling, drawing, measuring and classifying as related to the known object models). This step is also the most difficult one because it requires an extended knowledge of the characteristics of the already identified object models that can be found ...

Horse kicks, anthrax and the Poisson model for deaths.

Most epidemiologists use the Poisson model for deaths. In the old days we used it (and a slide rule) to calculate the standard errors of death rates and indirect standard mortality ratios. Now you can get exact limits from the Internet and Poisson regression analysis has made multivariate analyses of mortality and incidence data possible. It seems reasonable to ask who first introduced the mode...

Recent Trends in Archaeological Theory: Some Comments

 This paper selectively reviews some recent themes in archaeological theory:  a philosophical pragmatism, a turn to materiality, and understanding the past in the context of the present.  It concludes with some reflective comments on the author’s Archaeological Theory:  An Introduction, in advance of the third revised edition.

University of California Archaeological Survey

Quality Assurance in Archaeological Survey

To have confidence in the results of an archaeological survey, whether for heritage management or research objectives, we must have some assurance that the survey was carried out to a reasonably high standard. This paper discusses the use of Quality Assurance (QA) approaches and empirical methods for estimating surveys' effectiveness at discovering archaeological artifacts as a means for ensuri...