Application of Multivariate Statistical Methods to the Analysis of Ancient Turkish Potsherds

摘要

Three hundred ancient Turkish potsherds were analyzed by instrumental neutron activation analysis, and the resulting data analyzed by several techniques of multivariate statistical analysis, some only recently developed. The programs AGCLUS, MASLOC, and SIMCA were sequentially employed to characterize and group the samples by type of pottery and site of excavation. Comparison of the statistical analyses by each method provided archaeological insight into the site/type relationships of the samples and ultimately evidence relevant to the commercial relations between the ancient communities and specialization of pottery production over time. The techniques used for statistical analysis were found to be of significant potential utility in the future analysis of other archaeometric data sets. 25 refs., 33 figs. (ERA citation 11:005866)