Blurb:

Chapter 2 frames a method for identifying variation in regional complexity. The approach mirrors that of comparative archaeology; however, the application of statistical analysis is used to identify a diachronic view of regions with concentration and contraction along the coast. The approach is twofold; a first-tier approach that traces social evolutionary structures and diachronic relations that amount to generic groupings; and a second-tier approach where the selected groupings from the first-tier are applied to make the appropriate qualitative analysis between selected regions.