ABSTRACT
This chapter is about theoretical innovation, the usefulness of borrowing theories and frameworks from other disciplines, the consequences of inertia in the cultural traditions of archaeology, and the role of the imagination. The primary focus of the chapter will be an exploration of some of the implications of the widespread application of radiometric dating systems to archaeology and of the results of the first decade or so of studies of site formation process. As I will be mostly concerned with time-scales in the 10,000 to 1,000,000 year range, the chapter concludes with a brief exploration of alternative pathways for the building of social theory relevant to Pleistocene archaeological records. My interest here, apart from conveying my hope rather than my expectation that non-linear modelling will be a valuable tool in the armoury of the archaeologist, will be to assess the ways in which non-linear modelling can contribute to the expansion of theoretical options for the Pleistocene archaeologist, and to argue that the successful application of such modelling strategies will depend on what is being modelled and why.
