One of the enduring aims of archaeological research has been to explain
why human material culture is so diverse, both across the world and
through history. Recognising that diversity exists is not, however, to
explain it nor to measure it effectively. The aim of the contributors to
Quantifying Diversity in Archaeology is therefore to examine what we
mean by diversity, to review the methods of measurement and formulae we
an apply and assess the pitfalls that exist. Richness and evenness, the
two main components of diversity measures developed in the biological
sciences are considered, as are the value of diversity measures in the
study of style, ecology, cultural geography and faunal, lithic and
spatial analysis. Subsequent papers consider critically why the
archaeological remains of particular cultures vary so markedly between
sites, localities and regions.