Quantitative analysis of shape attributes based on contours and section profiles in artifact analysis

Shape attributes, which are significant in various branches of archaeological research, are usually deduced from the study of planar contours or cross sections. We present here a new approach to contour analysis, which enables us to quantify in a well-defined way significant shape properties that are often used to describe artifacts - symmetry, deformation, roughness, etc. It is meant to replace traditional, often impressionistic shape descriptions.