Archaeological data analysis and fuzzy clustering

Abstract

Cluster analysis is widely used in archaeological data analysis. Fuzzy clustering is a more modern technique than methods normally used by archaeologists and has not been much exploited. Applications that have been reported are sometimes unsatisfactory and usually do not exploit the 'fuzziness' of the procedure. After a brief review of the more common methods of cluster analysis, fuzzy ideas and fuzzy clustering are discussed. The method is applied to three data sets of different sizes and complexity, to illustrate particular aspects of, and problems in, application. Summarizing results is less easy than for more standard methods, but has the potential to reveal features of the data concealed by other methods. © University of Oxford, 2009.