Using Elliptical Fourier analysis (EFA) as its main method of quantitative analysis, this study compares vessel shape across two sites in La Libertad region of Peru. This research aims to determine significant variation in shape between the forms present at the two sites, referred to as Site 93 and 94 in the archaeological collections. The research is outlined as follows: extracting the outlines of the vessels, calibrating the number of harmonics needed, visualizing EFA to compare vessel form, and analyzing the data using PCA and ANOVA to determine if there are significant differences in shape. By doing so, the researcher will determine the effectiveness of quantitative methods in pottery analysis.

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Download a PDF of the paper or the Rmarkdown file (and graphics utilized in the study) below.