Advances in Archaeological Seriation

A New Postclassic Chronology for Yautepec, Morelos

“…There are still only a handful of published quantitative seriations from Mesoamerica (Curet et al 1994;Drennan 1976aDrennan , 1976bSmith and Doershuk 1991). The most common techniques employed in quantitative seriation studies are multidimensional scaling, cluster analysis using both hierarchical and k-means methods, factor analysis, and correspondence analysis (Duff 1996;Marquardt 1978). Our approach to seriation differs from that advocated by many of the methodological studies of the 1970s in our use of ceramic types instead of attributes, and in our use of clustering methods instead of multidimensional scaling.…”

“…Quantitative seriation methods were pioneered in the 1950s by Ford (1962) and Robinson (195 1). The introduction of computers to archaeology in the 1960s led to an explosion of methodological studies exploring various seriation techniques (e.g., Cowgill 1972;Drennan 1976a;Dunnell 1970;Johnson 1972;LeBlanc 1975;Marquardt 1978). Productive empirical research lagged behind methodological advances, however, and archaeologists were slow to apply quantitative seriation methods to solve specific problems in archaeological chronology.…”

“…Many of the seriation studies of the 1970s argued that attributes are more sensitive to change than are types, and are thus superior for quantitative seriation (e.g.. LeBlanc 1975;Marquardt 1978). Smith's initial seriation of ceramics at Xochicalco employed attributes to successfully refine the Postclassic chronology at that site into five phases (Smith 1983(Smith , 1987.…”

Temporal Scales and Archaeological Landscapes from the Eastern Desert of Australia and Intermontane North America

“…Crumley (1979) and Marquardt (1992; see also Crumley and Marquardt, 1987) emphasize that social and economic processes may each resolve best at different spatial scales. Stein (1993) attempts to reconcile the vastly different temporal scales of geology and archaeology.…”

“…The choice depends on their research interests (see also Crumley, 1979;Marquardt, 1992) and on the nature of archaeological deposits. As her focus is primarily on agency at individual and collective levels, she emphasizes the phenomenological scale, but she insists that phenomenological, interpretative, and analytical scales have no necessary relationship.…”