Even today objects take center stage in many areas of archaeological inquiry. But the past few decades have seen a proliferation of the ways anthropological archaeologists analyze raw materials, tools, techniques, finished products, and discarded objects. The chapters represent a broad range of theoretical perspectives, methods, and data sets.
Several chapters consider methodological issues in reconstructing technical systems.
Most contributions, however, apply this understanding to larger questions of social identity and ethnicity, emphasizing historical context or models of cultural process.