ABSTRACT
One of the most pervasive assumptions in archaeology has been the inference of the existence of ethnic groups from spatially and temporally limited constellations of similar artefacts. However, with the shift from culture history to more-explanatory approaches, many of these standard correlations of artefactual similarities and differences are being reassessed. The field of ethnoarchaeology has been developed as a means to test these assumptions about artefactual correlates of behaviour, although too often these studies have been viewed as ‘cautionary tales’ or as unique instances which are not necessarily applicable to other areas or periods.
