Multi-scale and nested-intensity sampling techniques for archaeological survey
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Abstract
This paper discusses sampling techniques for archaeological survey that are directed toward evaluating the properties of surface artifact distributions. The sampling techniques we experimented with consist of a multi-scale sampling plot developed in plant ecology and the use of a nested-intensity survey design. We present results from the initial application of these methods. The sampling technique we borrowed from plant ecology is the Modified-Whittaker multiscale sampling plot, which gathers observations at the spatial scales of 1 sq m, 10 sq m, 100 sq m, and 1000 sq m. Nested-intensity surveys gather observations on the same sample units at multiple resolutions. We compare the results of a closely-spaced walking survey, a crawling survey, and a test excavation to a depth of 10 cm. These techniques were applied to ten 20 × 50 m survey plots distributed over an area of 418 ha near the Hudson-Meng Bison Bonebed in NW Nebraska. These approaches can significantly improve the accuracy of survey data. Our results show that high-resolution coverage techniques overlook more material than archaeologists have suspected. The combined approaches of multi-scale and nested-intensity sampling provide new tools to improve our ability to investigate the properties of surface records.
| Publication type | Article |
|---|---|
| Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
| Title | Multi-scale and nested-intensity sampling techniques for archaeological survey |
| Series title | Journal of Field Archaeology |
| DOI | 10.1179/jfa.2004.29.3-4.409 |
| Volume | 29 |
| Issue | 3-4 |
| Year Published | 2004 |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis |
| Contributing office(s) | Fort Collins Science Center |
| Description | 15 p. |
| First page | 409 |
| Last page | 423 |
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