W. C. McKern and the Midwestern Taxonomic Method

Explores W. C. McKern's use of Linnaean taxonomy as the model for development of a pottery classification system By the early 20th century, North American archaeologists had found evidence of a plethora of prehistoric cultures displaying disparate geographic and chronological distributions. But there were no standards or algorithms for specifying when a culture was distinct or identical to another in a nearby or distant region. Will Carleton McKern of the Milwaukee Public Museum addressed this f