ArtefaktMustern

ArtefaktMustern is a term used in archaeology and related disciplines to refer to the systematic study of patterns found on artifacts. It encompasses decorative motifs, manufacturing traces, and wear patterns, with the aim of inferring production techniques, cultural contact, function, and meaning.

The concept emerged within German-language scholarship on artifact analysis in the late 20th century and has since been adopted by researchers in archaeology, museology, and digital humanities.

Methodology includes typological analysis, attribute coding, quantitative pattern analysis, and studies of spatial distribution. More recently, computational approaches such as network analysis and machine learning have been used to detect patterns across large collections.

Applications include reconstructing trade and exchange networks, technological diffusion, social organization, and the symbolic or ritual meanings attributed to objects.

Critiques emphasize that pattern interpretation depends on preservation, context, and theoretical assumptions. Cross-cultural comparability can be limited, and robust results require explicit documentation of data, sampling, and statistical methods.

See also artefact analysis, typology, chaîne opératoire, and cultural transmission.