The present study offers an epistemological and ontological historiographical review of the concept of the unit of analysis using island archaeology as a case study. We carry out a critical investigation to lay out the main ideas used to define units of analysis, and we consider the discourse that has emerged between this and other fields when defining such a concept. From an epistemological point of view, we can define three distinct strategies: first, those that define units of analysis by their outer limits, their borders; secondly, those that make the definition based on the internal dynamics taking place within the units of study; and in third place, strategies that focus on defining the analytical unit as a set of interactions between agents. From a more ontological point of view, we can differentiate between strategies that take on a categorical perspective and those that take on a more relational perspective. Ultimately, we reflect on the conceptualization and function of the unit of analysis in the process of interpretation, and in so doing, we provide evidence of the great theoretical richness of the concept and the multiple interrelated factors involved in its development.

本研究以岛屿考古学为案例研究，对分析单位的概念进行了认识论和本体论史学回顾。我们进行了一项批判性调查，以列出用于定义分析单位的主要思想，并在定义这样一个概念时考虑该领域和其他领域之间出现的争论。从认识论的角度来看，我们可以定义三种不同的策略：第一，那些通过它们的外部界限、边界来定义分析单位的策略;其次，那些根据学习单位内发生的内部动态做出定义的;第三种策略侧重于将分析单元定义为代理之间的一组交互。从更本体论的角度来看，我们可以区分采用分类视角的策略和采用更多关系视角的策略。最终，我们反思了分析单位在解释过程中的概念化和功能，在此过程中，我们提供了证据，证明该概念的巨大理论丰富性以及其发展中涉及的多个相互关联的因素。