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Pathways Revisited: A Quantitative Model of Discard

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 January 2017

John A. Hildebrand
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Abstract

A quantitative model of discard is presented. It is directed toward resolving the difficulty in relating frequency of archaeologically observed material objects to occurrences of past behavior. Schiffer’s (1976) Pathway Model is revised and expanded as the basis of this analysis. Mathematical expressions are developed relating frequency of cultural deposition to past behavior. The pathways of deposition considered are use-related discard, accidental loss, and deterioration during storage. Application of these relations to specific archaeological problems will require estimates of certain variables that should be based on ethnographic and experimental data.

Type
Articles
Information
American Antiquity , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , April 1978 , pp. 274 - 279
Copyright
Copyright © The Society for American Archaeology 1978

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References

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