Analysis of ecology and adaptation can show us that the whole can be greater than the sum of its parts. This concept is relevant for understanding cultures, and especially for looking at a culture from its material remains, as an archaeologist does. By looking at a culture as a system, we can observe and examine the interrelations and interactions of its component parts as well as its interactions with other units within its environment. Ideally, each of these discrete parts should be identifiable in the archaeological record. Thus, such concepts as tool kits, context, and use of certain areas can be associated with segments in a cultural system and used to understand or reconstruct the functioning of that culture.
Systems can be either stable or unstable.
Behavior of cultures for archeological periods are assumed to be relatively constant. However, as far as behavior is concerned, perception of stability is largely a matter of the scale being examined. Similarly, cultures change on a scale of hundreds to thousands of years. Thus, the stability of a system is largely determined by the limits imposed on that system. One other important concept with regards to systems is that of feedback .