The Fourth (and Influential) Introduction of Spindle Graphs

Abstract

Close examination of James A. Ford’s self-reported 1952 history of how he developed the centered and stacked bars style of spindle graph for which he is famous indicates he likely invented this kind of spindle graph with a bit of assistance from his colleagues George Quimby and Gordon Willey. In the 1930s, his diagrams of culture change were spatio-temporal rectangles or bar graphs; his first centered and stacked bars spindle diagram appeared in the 1949 published version of his doctoral dissertation. That graph style was picked up by American Southwest archaeologist Paul S(ydney) Martin that same year; Martin had, like many of his colleagues, initially used line graphs and bar graphs to illustrate culture change. Subsequently, numerous individuals adopted Ford’s centered and stacked bars form of spindle diagram. During the 1950s in Europe, French Paleolithic archaeologist François Bordes adopted ogive or cumulative relative frequency curves as a graphic means to compare assemblages of lithic tools. Quickly adopted by many European archaeologists, this graph type was only occasionally used in North America. After Ford, most graphs diagramed variational evolutionary change.