A method for chronological apportioning of ceramic assemblages

Artifact assemblages from long-inhabited sites may include ceramic types and wares from multiple time periods, making temporal comparisons between sites difficult. This is especially problematic in macro-regional data sets compiled from multiple sources with varying degrees of chronological control. We present a method for chronological apportioning of ceramic assemblages that considers site occupation dates, ceramic production dates, and popularity distribution curves. The chronological apportioning can also be adjusted to take into account different population sizes during the site occupation span. Our method is illustrated with ceramic data from late prehispanic sites in the San Pedro Valley and Tonto Basin, Arizona, U.S.A., compiled as part of the Southwest Social Networks Project. The accuracy of the apportioning method is evaluated by comparing apportioned assemblages with those from nearby contemporaneous single component sites.

► Sites' chronologically-mixed assemblages make time-specific research difficult.
► Our apportioning method uses data on site inhabitation and object lifespans.
► Uses hypothesized object popularity histories, can be adapted to empirical histories.
► Applied to ceramic ware assemblages in the late prehispanic U.S. Southwest.
► Evaluation in test cases indicates that the method is useful.