Time-dependent taphonomic site loss leads to spatial averaging: implications for archaeological cultures

Archaeologists define cultural areas based on material culture similarities between sites, often overlooking time-dependent site loss due to taphonomy. This paper tests the hypothesis that incomplete datasets lead to overestimation of similarity regions. Using subsampling algorithms on soil type data, it shows a negative relationship between the percentage of points used and the distance to the first similarity minimum. This indicates that incomplete data overestimates the area of similarity, with the starting point influencing the region's size. This has implications for interpreting the spatial extent of material culture similarity in prehistory.

Emily Coco, Radu Iovita