SERIATION - DECORATED CERAMICS FROM HOUSE FLOORS

All data is in percentages. Each column represents a special time period with Pioneer being the earliest and Sedentary the latest. The problem is to order these houses in terms of time from early to late. Archaeologists look at types of design styles and can order houses such as these because those design styles change over time. It is similar to the changes in American stoves from gas to electric to microwave. As a new style or product become popular, the frequency of it increases while earlier styles or products decrease in frequency. To find the earliest house, one looks for the highest amount of Pioneer design styles. That would be Feature 14 with 71%. To find the latest house, you look for the highest frequency of Sedentary design styles. That would be Feature 112 or Feature 113.

 Feature

 Pioneer

 Colonial

 Sedentary

 14

 71%

 18%

 11%

 6

 00%

 36%

 64%

 19

 17%

 76%

 08%

 22

 04%

 96%

 00%

 78

 00%

 57%

 43%

 113

 00%

 17%

 83%

 7

 00%

 59%

 41%

 132

 00%

 34%

 66%

 133

 00%

 19%

 81%

 138

 00%

 41%

 59%

 21

 04%

 96%

 00%

 76

 00%

 48%

 52%

 136

  00%

 75%

 24%

 112

 00%

 18%

 82%

 79

 00%

 84%

 16%


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