Archaeological Typology and Practical Reality A Dialectical Approach to Artifact Classification and Sorting
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- The archaeologist's preface
- The philosopher's preface
- PART I Introductory
- PART II The nature of types and typologies
- PART III Typology in action: the Medieval Nubian Pottery Typology
- PART IV Pragmatics of archaeological typology
- PART V Classification, explanation, and theory
- Appendices
- References
- Index
PART IV - Pragmatics of archaeological typology
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 23 November 2009
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- List of figures
- List of tables
- The archaeologist's preface
- The philosopher's preface
- PART I Introductory
- PART II The nature of types and typologies
- PART III Typology in action: the Medieval Nubian Pottery Typology
- PART IV Pragmatics of archaeological typology
- PART V Classification, explanation, and theory
- Appendices
- References
- Index
Summary
In anthropology there is little to be gained by pushing conceptual distinctions very far, and some risk of sterility, because phenomena intergrade endlessly, especially in so highly plastic a thing as culture. A broad definition, centering on the core of meaning involved rather than aiming at hairline logical definition at its edges, is therefore ordinarily the most useful.
A. L. Kroeber (1964:234)- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Archaeological Typology and Practical RealityA Dialectical Approach to Artifact Classification and Sorting, pp. 155 - 156Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1991