Folks,
Bill Adams has a history with the concept of artifact time lag that dates
back to his innovative work in Silcott in the mid-1970s. I haven't read his
recent article on the subject but I heartily agree with the sentiment in
his posting. We have taken to providing three indicators of site dates in
our reports: the terminus post quem and its basis (be that ceramic, glass,
or whatever), the mean ceramic date based on makers' marks not ware type,
and the estimated date of deposition, which is actually what we are trying
to get at.
It's shaping up to be a beautiful morning here in northern California.
Adrian Praetzellis
Sonoma State University