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8 - A synthetic definition of typology and type

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 November 2009

William Y. Adams
Affiliation:
University of Kentucky
Ernest W. Adams
Affiliation:
University of California, Berkeley
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Summary

The various concepts that were discussed in the three preceding chapters may now be synthesized into a single, synthetic definition of “typology” and “type.” This will necessarily be a cumbersome formulation, since a large number of individual concepts is involved. Following the example of Geertz (1966: 4) in his famous definition of religion, we will first state the definition, then break it down into its constituent elements, then analyze each element for its significance.

Definition

A typology is a conceptual system made by partitioning a specified field of entities into a comprehensive set of mutually exclusive types, according to a set of common criteria dictated by the purpose of the typologist. Within any typology, each type is a category created by the typologist, into which he can place discrete entities having specific identifying characteristics, to distinguish them from entities having other characteristics, in a way that is meaningful to the purpose of the typology.

The definition can now be analyzed in terms of the following components: (1) A typology is a conceptual system (2) made by partitioning (3) a specified field of entities (4) into a comprehensive set (5) of mutually exclusive types (6) according to a set of common criteria (7) dictated by the purpose (8) of the typologist.

Type
Chapter
Information
Archaeological Typology and Practical Reality
A Dialectical Approach to Artifact Classification and Sorting
, pp. 91 - 96
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 1991

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