ABSTRACT
The term ‘ model’ has of late enjoyed a considerable vogue among archaeolo gists, and attention has been focused on the use of models by many publica tions, in particular those concerned with the application of mathematical analytical techniques to archaeology. The potential importance to the subject of a more conscious and controlled use of models cannot be doubted, but to date many archaeologists have changed their vocabulary rather than their mental attitudes, and little impact has been apparent in many areas of study. As Clarke (1968) said, ‘ it is in precisely those recent works in which the term is most courageously flourished that no actual model is ever erected, discussed, fitted against real data, or explicitly elaborated in any way’. This chapter arises from recent advances in field techniques for studying archaeological sites, which have been developed over a number of years by various members of the British Academy Major Research Project on the Early History of Agriculture. The data resulting from these techniques have important implications at both the methodological and the theoretical levels. Should the approach discussed here continue to prove useful and its implications be supported by future research, there seems every reason to hope that it may give rise to more com plex and precise models for archaeological procedure and interpretation in the future.
