Comparing palaeolithic assemblages: Ksar akil, a case study

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Abstract
A general method for comparing and integrating different categories of information ‘Constellation Analysis’ is illustrated on a series of early Upper Palaeolithic assemblages from Ksar Akil, Lebanon (levels 25–12). Constellations of attributes or ‘types’ are defined for different aspects of typology and technology (taken singly and together), and the one series of assemblages is studied from these different points of view via Principal Component analyses. The resulting preliminary configurations are then fitted to each other by scaling and rotation and a measure of misfit, M2, between each pair is derived. These residual values in turn allow the interrelationships between the constellations themselves to be investigated. The results of this case study are claimed to have important consequences for the definition and treatment of attribute‐ or type‐lists when studying the Palaeolithic. A plea is made for more aspects of the data to be presented and integrated.

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