Inferential mistakes in population proxies: A response to Torfing's “Neolithic population and summed probability distribution of 14C-dates”

In his paper “Neolithic population and summed probability distribution of 14C-dates” Torfing opposes the widely held principle originally proposed by Rick (1987) that variation through time in the amount of archaeological material discovered in a region will reflect variation in the size of that local human population. His argument illustrates a persistent divide in archaeology between analytical and descriptive approaches when using proxies for past population size. We critically evaluate the numerous inferential mistakes he makes, showing that his conclusion is unjustified.