A method for the identification of the location of regional cultural boundaries

Although it is widely accepted that exchangeable items often have a role in boundary maintenance, the forms of regression analysis used by archaeologists in the analysis of artifact distributions are generally unable to recognize the marked boundary effects that might be theoretically predicted, and alternative techniques are clearly required. In this study, it is suggested that single boundary profiles are well represented by a two-parameter family of functions related to the Verhulst model for population growth. A curve of this type was fitted by an iterative technique to empirical data values provided by the distribution of various regional series of late Iron Age coinage in southern Britain, and preliminary results suggest that in most cases the boundaries identified correspond to those which have been inferred on the basis of historical evidence. In addition, the analysis has drawn attention to a number of features which might repay further study—a close relationship between boundaries and major rivers, and a suggestion of the existence of distinct boundary zones between discrete territorial units. There are, however, a number of problems in the application of the method, and further work is needed.