Artefacts: Exploring the Emergence and Patterns of Production Techniques
Abstract
Artefacts are human-made objects that are traceable in place and datable in time. They provide evidence of the production techniques adopted across different locations and historical periods. Exploiting the Online Collection of the British Museum, we assemble a global dataset of over one million artefacts. We combine metadata with vision–language and large language models to classify artefacts according to 95 production techniques, such as engraving, beading, and painting. Based on estimated production dates and findspot information, we assign artefacts to over 9,000 distinct sites spanning a period of 10,000 years. We identify the earliest known adopters of each production technique and trace its diffusion from the points of origin. We find that sites located closer to the points of origin adopt the respective techniques earlier.
Language
English
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