Sampling in Archaeology

A comprehensive account of the techniques of sampling which are essential to modern archaeological practice.

Sampling in Archaeology is the only up-to-date and comprehensive account of the techniques of sampling which are essential to modern archaeological practice. It incorporates the latest developments in statistical sampling theory, and can easily be understood by students and scholars of archaeology.The first overview of sampling for archaeologists for over twenty years, this manual offers a comprehensive account of the applications of statistical sampling theory which are essential to modern archaeological practice at a range of scales, from the regional to the microscopic. Bringing archaeologists up to date with an aspect of their work which is often misunderstood, it includes a discussion of the relevance of sampling theory to archaeological interpretation, and considers its fundamental place in fieldwork and post-excavation study. It demonstrates the vast range of techniques that are available, only some of which are widely used by archaeologists. A section on statistical theory also reviews latest developments in the field, and the formal mathematics is available in an appendix, cross-referenced with the main text.