Protocols for Organising Radiocarbon Dated Assemblages from New Zealand Archaeological Sites for Comparative Analysis

Abstract

A set of protocols developed to organise radiocarbon dated archaeological assemblages from New Zealand in preparation for comparative analysis is presented. These concern sample selection and admissibility criteria, and a set of rules for using both 1σ and 2σ calibrated age ranges to assign assemblage dates to periods. Examples drawn from a comparative study currently being undertaken are used to illustrate application of the protocols, and brief observations are made on the distributions in time and space of assemblages under analysis in this case study.