Trees of chains, links or branches: Conceptual alternative for consideration of stone tool production and other sequential activities

Archaeologists construct sequence models to describe the operation of past activities such as production of stone tools. As developed in Japan, France , and North American, such models summarize processes, present intermediate steps, and link formally divers materials. Some sequence models are teleol ogical in that they present actions as predetermined patterns. Others can b e considered evolutionary in that they describe results produced by selecte d interaction between conditions and variables. With separate strengths and different goals, both approaches to sequence modeling have archaeological utility.