Explaining Temporal Change in Artifacts by the use of Process Controls

Abstract

Process controls are guidelines employed during performance of a manufacturing task that reduce variation in the final product. The manufacture of stone tools, one of many endeavors that has depended on process controls to yield consistent results, can be examined to understand how the concepts of controls may be integrated with theories of stylistic variation. Not only do process controls explain why styles are recognizable, they help to explain why one style differs from another. Selected examples reveal how pervasive process controls are in an archaeological context and explain how their effects may be recognized. Suggestions are then offered as to how the effects produced by process controls may be quantified.