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Polythetic classification and measures of similarity in materiał culture. A quantitative approach to... | 2 27

Quantifying Similarities

Besides the issue of classification discussed above, it is elear that an approach based on judgements of the similarity and dissimilarity of materiał culture needs some form of quantitative background. The comparison of one culture against another generates absolute state-ments about regional contacts that cannot easily be compared. Often single finds are ascribed as indications of cultural contacts without re-gard to the total ąuantity of materiał in the contexts involved. Surely qualitative considerations of the different significance of individual artefacts are important, but they should be combined with considerations of quantitative relations.

When we discuss the similarity and dissimilarity of materiał culture, a quantitative approach should be able to create a set of data that allows for judgement on the scalę and degree of similarities. This has the potential to break-away from a binary yes/no framework and towards a comparable and computable assessment of cultural similarities.

Fig. 1. Different statistical procedures, like the Correspondence Analysis favoured here, are able to display similarities by the affiliation of similar traits as proximities between the units in question.These may be treated like Euclidian Distances.

Ryc. 1. Różne procedury statystyczne, jak np. proponowana tu analiza korespondencji, mogą pokazywać podobieństwa poprzez mierzenie podobnych cech jako bliskości między analizowanymi jednostkami. Mogą one być traktowane jako odległości euklidesowe.