The Value of Legacy Collections for Recognizing and Reducing Error in Artifact Analysis

Author(s): Jeffrey Alvey; Evan Peacock; Joseph Mitchell

Year: 2019

Summary

This is an abstract from the ""Re-excavating" Legacy Collections" session, at the 84th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

All data accumulated in field studies directed at the determination of formal variation in the archaeological record contain a source of variation that results from analytical error. This type of error, if of sufficient magnitude, may significantly affect interpretation. Recent ceramic and faunal analyses from the Southeast have identified important errors that could affect archaeological interpretations that fail to recognize such problems. By discussing these specific instances of analytical error we hope to assist analysts in avoiding such mistakes in the future while highlighting the importance of reanalyzing curated collections as a means of evaluating the occurrence and magnitude of previous error.

Cite this Record

The Value of Legacy Collections for Recognizing and Reducing Error in Artifact Analysis. Jeffrey Alvey, Evan Peacock, Joseph Mitchell. Presented at The 84th Annual Meeting of the Society for American Archaeology, Albuquerque, NM. 2019 ( tDAR id: 451999)

Spatial Coverage

min long: -93.735; min lat: 24.847 ; max long: -73.389; max lat: 39.572 ;

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 24658