Describes the use of log-linear models for the analysis of frequency tables and also introduces an alternative technique, iterative proportional scaling (IPS). The log-linear approach is illustrated using data on the reliability of reported decoration in a set of Early Bronze Age axes from southern Britain. The method, as implemented in the computer package GLIM, is then applied to data on the decoration of the faces and sides of those axes, divided into two chronological phases to form a three-dimensional table. The same table is analyzed using IPS, and the relative advantages and the applicability of the two methods are discussed. The appendices give some practical information on the availability of programs and the computational steps involved in IPS. -- AATA