ABSTRACT
The ecosystem concept has been useful to archaeologists primarily as an heuristic device, encouraging us to think in terms of the systemic interrelationships among cultural and natural factors. A commitment to ecological archaeology, therefore, with its unifying concept of the ecosystem, introduces spatio-temporal variability and complex interrelationships as important elements of the problems investigated. These requirements of an ecological approach have significant implications for both techniques of archaeological research and the types of explanation acceptable. Archaeological research designs often seek to include gathering of information pertinent to study of ecosystem traits and processes, such as spatial distribution of environmental characteristics and stability of their distribution through time. Archaeological methods are increasingly attempting to gather information about spatial and temporal variation in prehistoric human behavior. Archaeologists must compare the two regions in terms of site densities, site locations, and faunal materials in an attempt to determine whether there existed significant differences in hunting techniques and work group size and distribution.
