  This article presents a new method for estimating the amount of an artifact
class in use at a given moment in the past from a random assemblage of
archaeological finds. This method is based on the use of simulation, since an
analytical solution is computationally impractical. Estimating the number of
artifacts in use at any time $t$ is shown to follow a Poisson distribution,
which allows for credible intervals to be established using the Jeffreys prior.
This estimator works from minimal assumptions about the dating and duration of
finds, as well as the intensity of collection, and is applied to coinage from
four Roman-period sites excavated by the Roman Peasant Project (2009-2014). The
result provides for an estimation of the abundance of material according to an
interval of certainty.
