Publication Date

Winter 7-9-1973

Abstract

Artifacts, as operative components of cultural systems, monitor the structure of cultural systems. Artifacts exhibit differences and similarities in terms of the structure of the cultural system in which they functioned. Conversely, the structure of cultural systems may be monitored in terms of differences and similarities exhibited by artifacts.

Differences and similarities exhibited by a set of 1074 copper artifacts from Wisconsin are investigated in terms of organizational variability or associations that permit the recognition of an entity with definable structural properties, and distributional variability or patterning manifest when recognized units are plotted spatially.

Multivariate statistical techniques are used to investigate artifact variability in order to entertain as hypotheses and as a model, the form of the sociocultural system (or systems) responsible for depositing the empirically observed distribution of artifacts.

It is suggested that a relatively large and sedentary cultural system (or systems) deposited the observed distribution of artifacts in southern Wisconsin; whereas, a relatively small and mobile cultural system (or systems) deposited the observed distribution of artifacts in northern Wisconsin.

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Anthropology

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Anthropology

First Committee Member (Chair)

Lewis R. Binford

Second Committee Member

W. James Judge

Third Committee Member

Del A. Dyreson

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