ABSTRACT
The interest in the reconstruction of prehistoric social systems has served to call attention to the nature and possible causes of patterning as it is seen in archeological materials. It is generally agreed that meaningful inference from the archeological record concerning the cultural systems responsible for its existence depends on an understanding of the manner in which culture is reflected in its products. Examples of the third level of patterning are provided by those artifacts which represent an entire community, and are usually encountered in settlement-pattern studies. The artifacts in this case are usually structures, and their number and arrangement provide an indication of community behavior. Inference of descent from archeological data, at least in terms of patterning, is a much more difficult and complex problem. Unlike residence, descent is a group function, and therefore fits the level of group behavioral patterning.
