The Mortality of Things: Correlates of Use Life in Wola Material Culture Using Age-at-Census Data

Authors: Shott M.J.¹; Sillitoe P.²

Source: Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory, Volume 8, Number 3, September 2001 , pp. 269-302(34)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

How long ancient artifacts lasted affects the composition of archaeological assemblages. Some research suggests that longevity or use life relates to size and other artifact properties, but we know less than we should about what determines use life. An ethnographic census of Wola objects from highland Papua New Guinea recorded artifact age. From these data we use Hildebrand and Hagstrum's method to estimate mean use life. It does not covary generally with object size as in previous studies but does with commodity value. Among arrows alone, use life covaries with object size. Results complicate in some respects and clarify in others our growing understanding of what determines artifact use life.

Keywords: use life; material culture; Wola; assemblage formation

Language: English

Document Type: Regular paper

Affiliations: 1: Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminology, University of Northern Iowa, Cedar Falls, Iowa; shott@csbs.csbs.uni.edu 2: Department of Anthropology, University of Durham, Durham DH1 3HN, United Kingdom

Publication date: 2001-09-01