"The process of attributing to an object or event a date in the past, allowing such object or event to be located in a previously established chronology."
Methods used to determine the age of archaeological materials, including radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, and seriation.
Stratigraphy: The study of the layers of sediment and soil, and their chronological order.
Seriation: The arrangement of artifacts in chronological order based on their style, popularity, and evolution over time.
Absolute Dating: Determining the exact age of an artifact or site by using techniques such as radiocarbon dating, dendrochronology, and thermoluminescence.
Relative Dating: Determining the age of an artifact or site by comparing it to other artifacts or sites that have known dates.
Typology: The classification of artifacts into types, based on their characteristics and similarities to other artifacts.
Paleomagnetism: The study of the earth's magnetic fields and their effects on rocks and minerals.
Paleoecology: The study of past environments and ecosystems, and their relationship to human populations.
Geoarchaeology: The study of the geological and environmental context of archaeological sites, including the formation of the site.
Historic Archaeology: The study of the recent past, focusing on historical records and artifacts.
Experimental Archaeology: The study of ancient technology and techniques through the reproduction and testing of artifacts and structures.
Ethnoarchaeology: The study of living societies and their material culture, to better understand archaeological behavior.
Archaeological Theory: The study of the underlying principles and ideas that guide archaeological research and interpretation.
Taphonomy: The study of the processes that affect the preservation and decay of organic materials.
Forensic Archaeology: The application of archaeological methods in criminal investigations and legal proceedings.
Cultural Resource Management: The practice of preserving and managing archaeological sites and artifacts for future generations.
Stratigraphy: This is the study of layers of sediment or rock, which can be used to reconstruct a site's chronological sequence.
Radiocarbon dating: This technique is used to determine the age of organic materials by comparing their levels of carbon isotopes.
Dendrochronology: This is the study of tree rings and can be used to build chronologies back many thousands of years.
Seriation: This method uses changes in the style of artifacts over time to create a relative chronology.
Thermoluminescence dating: This technique measures the amount of light emitted by minerals in response to heating, which allows the age of the material to be calculated.
Optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating: Similar to thermoluminescence, OSL measures the amount of light emitted when minerals are stimulated by light.
Potassium-argon dating: This method is used to date rocks and volcanic ash by measuring the amount of argon gas trapped in them.
Uranium-series dating: This technique uses the radioactive decay of uranium isotopes to determine the age of materials such as speleothems and shells.
Electron spin resonance dating: This method calculates the age of fossil teeth and quartz grains by measuring the amount of radioactive decay electrons in them.
Obsidian hydration dating: This technique measures the thickness of the hydration layer on obsidian artifacts to determine their age.
Amino acid dating: This method uses the breakdown of amino acids in organic materials to determine their age.
Fission track dating: This technique calculates the age of crystals and glasses by measuring the lengths and density of tracks created by the decay of uranium isotopes.
Archaeomagnetic dating: This method uses changes in the Earth's magnetic field to determine the age of materials such as ceramics and hearths.
Fluorine dating: This technique uses the amount of fluorine absorbed by bone and teeth to determine their age.
Luminescence dating: This method measures the amount of light emitted from quartz and feldspar grains in sediment in response to radiation, which allows the age of the sediment to be calculated.
"A method used to attribute a date to an object or event in the past."
"History, archaeology, geology, paleontology, astronomy, and forensic science."
"Absolute dating involves a specified date or date range, while relative dating refers to dating which places artifacts or events on a timeline relative to other events and/or artifacts."
"Other markers can help place an artifact or event in a chronology, such as nearby writings."
"There are several dating methods that exist, depending on different criteria and techniques."
"It allows objects or events to be located in a previously established chronology."
"In forensic science, it is sometimes necessary to investigate the moment in the past during which the death of a cadaver occurred."
"To locate objects or events within a specific timeline."
"Archaeologists use dating methods to attribute dates to artifacts they unearth."
"Absolute dating and relative dating."
"Dating methods help geologists attribute ages to rock formations and geological events."
"Stratigraphic markers can help place an artifact or event in a chronology."
"Astronomy relies on accurate chronology for studying celestial events."
"It allows historians to attribute dates to historical events and place them on a timeline."
"To determine the moment in the past during which the death occurred."
"Several dating methods exist, depending on different criteria and techniques."
"Dating methods help paleontologists determine the age of fossils and fossilized remains."
"Objects such as pottery, tools, structures, and fossilized remains."
"Archaeologists use dating methods to establish the age of artifacts and reconstruct past civilizations."