How are artifacts classified?

Dr. dig responds:
After archaeologists have recovered artifacts from a site they need to impose some order on them by dividing them into groups that have some meaning to them. We do this all the time in the things we use in our everyday lives. We organize our clothes according to type - work clothes, formal wear, sports clothes, clothes for sleeping in, clothes for cold weather, etc. We may then continue to sort our clothes by color and size.

Archaeological artifacts are organized according to certain criteria. Archaeologists call this system, 'classification based on attributes'. First, artifacts are normally grouped according to material: glass, metal, ceramic, stone. Within these divisions, they may then be sorted in more detail. Let's take ceramics, for example. Pottery will probably be divided into groups on the basis of the type of clay, the shape of the vessel, the decoration and the color of the glaze.

Classification is important because it helps archaeologist see patterns in economy, social status and trade, it gives guidance for dating artifacts, and it may suggest other important factors as well, such as function and technology.