Lockyear, K., ed. (2000). CAA 96:. Oxford: Archaeopress.

an approach is suggested for the establishment of criteria for satisfactory designs of site evaluations. Work carried out on an analogous problem, the question of the presence of rare species of shellfish in marine areas, suggests that the use of Bayesian methods can improve the efficiency of sample designs

the paper argues that by overlooking the role of vessel size as a factor in assemblage formation, archaeologists may sometimes have misinterpreted patterns in the ceramic record. Using an African example, it is shown that a pattern previously attributed to economic decline may be the result of a move to communal eating. The author suggests that more attention should be directed to the manner of use of ceramics

discusses a programme of radiocarbon dating, part of a recent post-excavation project leading to publication of the twentieth-century excavations at Stonehenge. Results of forty-six new measurements were analysed and interpreted in conjunction with the archaeological information to produce a statistical model of the site's chronology, enabling more precise estimates to be made of the dates of archaeological interest. The paper discusses the processes of interpretation which led to the creation of the model, and illustrates the effectiveness of the use of Bayesian techniques in understanding the monument

paper offering a computational solution to the problem of the weak (low contrast), complex responses exhibited in the use of ground probing radar data at some types of site. The basis for and nature of the techniques are described, and their use, in conjunction with time-slicing techniques, is discussed. The application of the techniques to Hindwell Enclosure 1, a radar-weak Iron Age site on the Welsh Borders, is described, and the success of the exercise assessed by comparison of the results with those of a resistivity survey carried out in the same area

using a set of borehole samples collected at a large site north of the villages of Willingham and Over in Cambridgeshire, it has been possible to use the depths of the alluvium, peat, sand and gravels to model a series of relic landscapes. Using a Geographical Information System (GIS), the Digital Elevation Model (DEM) has undergone a series of techniques to aid the visualisation of the hidden landscape. The paper discusses the processes involved in taking a raw data set and using the standard functions of a GIS to provide a base model upon which to create a prospection and management tool

critical review of recent contributions on the relationship between the application of spatial technologies to archaeological problems and archaeological theory. Four areas are defined in which spatial technologies might contribute to archaeological theory building: the conceptualisation of landscapes; the deconstruction of archaeological categories such as `site' and `settlement'; the relationship between scale, social agency and process; and the analysis of change through time

the paper gives a brief description of the recent development of networked computing facilities at Staffordshire University, focusing on the response to the demands of the academic and scientific community; gives a critical view of the networking technologies used; and concludes with the author's view of future advances and innovation