Home  >  Typology  >  Sorting Activity
sample photo

For more information:

Kristine Bovy

Assisstant Professor

507 Chafee Building URI

Kingston, RI 02881

874-4143

kbovy@uri.edu

Typology - Sorting Poverty Point Objects

Instructions: In this activity you will be using actual archaeological data from four sites in the region.  Your job is to sort the PPOs into their proper types by dragging them into the correct tray. When in the tray, the new object cannot overlap any objects already in the tray.

Each image has a number below it indicating the number of real Poverty Point Objects it represents. Count the total number of each type based on the real number of objects, calculate the percentages based on the archaeological data, and answer the questions below. Round to the nearest whole number when calculating the percentages (ex. .9= 90 or .90 ; .003= .00 or 0)

 

The flash program has input boxes for the total number of objects at the site as well as each type and the percentage of each type at that site. Filling in those boxes and hitting the "check" button will show you if your calculations are correct.

 

Time: 25-30 min. (questions not included in time)

 

 

 

 

 

Answer the Following Questions:

  1. Write down the number and percentages of each type of artifact for the above sites.
  2. On the basis of your calculations, which site do you think is the oldest? Which is the youngest? Why?
  3. Why do you think some types of PPOs are more frequent in some sites than others? Explain. (hint: is it due to technology, function, styles?)

 

Next we will look at another set of artifacts.

 

Back
Next