Log in to track your reading progress.
Overview
The relativity of measurement is one of the paradoxes of science. Even as we seek evidence to explain the world around us, the nature of that knowledge depends on our tools. The apparent inconsistency between what we know and how and what we measure points to the importance of scientific method as a bridge between ideas and entities. This volume emphasizes one aspect of scientific method: units of measure and their construction as applied to archaeology. Attributes, artifact classes, locational designations, temporal periods, sampling universes, culture stages, and geographic regions are all examples of constructed units. Unit Issues in Archaeology discusses how units are defined, described, and evaluated within specified research contexts. Topics include projectile points as chronological markers, the Pecos classification, obsidian and ceramic sourcing, ceramic typology, the "Folsom problem," and landscape-scale units. Throughout the volume, emphasis is placed on the relationship between research goal and measurement. Because research drives the selection and construction of units, units are not treated as unvarying sets of absolutes.Editorials
Booknews
Emphasizing units and unit constructions, eleven contributions examine specific unit structures (both theoretical and empirical) and evaluate their performance. Topics include projectile points as valid chronological units; reliability, validity, and scale in obsidian sourcing research; regional scale processes and archaeological landscape units; technological units and debitage analysis; and H.S. Colton's ceramic concepts. The editors' introduction establishes a general methodological framework . Paper edition (unseen), $25.00. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.Book Details
Published
November 1, 1997
Publisher
University of Utah Press,U.S.
Pages
245
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780874805482