Surovell, T. A. and Brantingham, P. Jeffrey. (2007). A note on the use of temporal frequency distributions in studies of prehistoric demography. J Archaeol Sci 34 (11). Vol 34(11), pp. 1868-1877.
 Title The title of the publication or report |
A note on the use of temporal frequency distributions in studies of prehistoric demography | ||
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Issue The name of the volume or issue |
J Archaeol Sci 34 (11) | ||
Series The series the publication or report is included in |
Journal of Archaeological Science | ||
Volume Volume number and part |
34 (11) | ||
Page Start/End The start and end page numbers. |
1868 - 1877 | ||
Biblio Note This is a Bibliographic record only. |
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Publication Type The type of publication - report, monograph, journal article or chapter from a book |
Journal | ||
Abstract The abstract describing the content of the publication or report |
Temporal frequency distributions of archaeological sites and radiocarbon dates are commonly used as proxies for prehistoric population levels based on the assumption that more people create a stronger archaeological signal. The authors, while acknowledging that this assumption is certainly correct, question whether relative frequencies of sites or dates observed from prehistoric contexts are necessarily linked to human demography. They demonstrate that the typical positive curvilinear frequency distributions observed in archaeological contexts also regularly occur in paleontological and geological contexts and are thus likely caused by the operation of time-dependent destructive processes, known as `taphonomic bias'. Using a simple model, which assumes a constant rate of site loss over time, they show how taphonomic bias can produce positive curvilinear frequency distributions through time even in cases of population stasis, decline, and fluctuation. They conclude that caution must be used when attempting to infer demographic trends from frequency distributions alone. | ||
Year of Publication The year the book, article or report was published |
2007 | ||
Locations Any locations covered by the publication or report. This is not the place the book or report was published. |
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Source Where the record has come from or which dataset it was orginally included in. |
BIAB
(The British & Irish Archaeological Bibliography (BIAB))
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Relations Other resources which are relevant to this publication or report |
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Created Date The date the record of the pubication was first entered |
05 Dec 2007 |
