A model-based statistical classification analysis for karamattepe arrowheads

Abstract

The Nif Excavation Project is carried out by Elif Tül Tulunayin the southeastern part of Nif Dağı (Mount Nif) located in the eastern province of İzmir, Western Anatolia, Turkey. Since 2006, a total of 483 arrowheads made of iron and bronze have been found in Karamattepe, a territory with important sectors of rich metal finds, especially arrowheads. In the excavation process, Daniş Baykan implemented the first typological study related to arrowheads in 2012. The main objective of the current study is to create an unbiased classification tool which will cover both metric and categorical characteristics for present and future samples gathered from the same region; as well as to resolve the lack of a common typological base by providing a comparison with similar –contemporaneous– arrowheads found in nearby regions. For this purpose, Multinomial Logistic Regression was selected; and in order to provide a more coherent prediction, the Multiple Imputation (MI) Method was employed to complete the missing data. The study aims to develop the interpretation of archaeological data, while setting a unique example of the implication of the stated methods for the specified data.