Seriation
Seriation is a relative dating method. It involves arranging archaeological materials into a presumed chronological sequence based on cultural and stylistic change. As long as items are gathered from the same cultural tradition, archaeologists assume that stylistic change occurs relatively gradually over time. By tracing similarities and differences in styles and by measuring the relative popularity of these differing styles, one can reconstruct a sequence.

Here is an example of how seriation is done. We can trace changes in grave stones from the area around Concord, Lexington and Boston. Three distinctive types of carvings were made at different times. Death Head images were the earliest; Cherub faces were intermediate; and an Urn and Willow combination were the last to be carved. In this case, styles changed over time based on what people preferred to have carved. Ask yourself this question: do you think that this preference was the same in Concord, Lexington and Boston or was there differences in what people wanted between those societies? Look at this tombstone and try to figure out where it fits? Another type Where does individual preference play a role in setting styles in a society? Do styles of clothing, for example, change across space just as they do across time? How does an archaeologist deal with this?