In the first ever archaeological study of its kind, two researchers have combined the chemical analyses of dozens of the world's earliest copper artefacts and modularity approach in order to identify prehistoric networks of co-operation during the early development of European metalmaking. This study has led them one step further: the communities that co-operated the most largely belonged to the same archaeological culture, thus revealing a novel method for an independent evaluation of the archaeological record.
Archaeological systematics, particularly in prehistory, use the accumulation of similar material traits or dwelling forms in archaeological sites to designate distinctive 'archaeological cultures'; however, what these expressions of similarity represent and at what resolution remain a major problem in the field of archaeology.1
- 1. Source: ScienceDaily