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DATING METHODS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH

An important goal of archaeological research is to determine when particular areas were inhabited or the timing of past events. To accomplish this, archaeologists use a variety of dating methods to establish chronologies for the ancient cultures they are studying. There are two basic types of archaeological dating methods:relative datingandchronometric dating(sometimes calledabsolute).

Relativedating reveals thesequenceof several archaeological finds butnottheir calendar age. It establishes a basic time sequence of events. (Keywords: older, newer, before, after)

Chronometricdating reveals thecalendar age, and of course their sequence, too. Chronometric dating is sometimes referred to as absolute dating because it provides an exact date (often with a range of error) for past events. (Keywords: dates, specific events, and time period names)

For the questions below, mark whether the examples are relative or chronometric dates.

Question 1

A log house build in AD 1609.

Relative

Chronometric

Question 2

The oldest tomb in the Valley of the Kings

Relative

Chronometric

Question 3

A ceramic pot displaying the earliest phase of a decorative painting technique.

Relative

Chronometric

In archaeological research, relative dating is based on the classic geological principle of the Law of Superposition. This law states that, under normal circumstances, deeper layers of soil, sediment, or rock are older than those above them. Thus, relative dating comes from stratigraphy, the sequences of layered, or stratified, deposits. LIke geological exposures, archaeological sites usually contain stratified layers. Some of them are the result of human activity, like trash accumulation or construction debris, but others are the result of natural phenomenon like soil erosion and flooding.

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EXAMPLE:

Archaeologists recently excavated a 2x2 meter pit in an archaeological site in Greece. There appears to be a well-defined strategraphic sequence. It is illustrated below and the important artifacts, ecofacts, and features are highlighted.

Use the illustration to answer the questions below. Consult Ch. 8 of your textbook and Lecture 20 on Canvas.

Question 4

The bones are the ____________ ecofacts of the excavation unit.

Youngest

Oldest

Question 5

The ash is __________ than the stone wall.

Older

Younger

Question 6

Some chronometric dating methods can be applied to volcanic materials. If the ash layer in the stratigraphy is volcanic in nature, which dating method would be the best to use?

Radiocarbon dating (C-14)

Stratigraphy

Dendrochronology

Potassium Argon dating (KAr)

In the 1920s, an astronomer by the name of A. E. Douglass discovered that the seasons caused trees to suspend their growth in the winter and resume it in the spring. This interruption and subsequent resumption of growth resulted in an annual formation of a discernible tree ring, and a distinctive pattern of tree rings in a cross-section of a fallen tree. Because each ring corresponds to a year, and the pattern corresponds to the local environment, the tree-ring patterns can be overlapped with one another, and used to quite literally count, year by year, back in time. This method can be used to date some archaeological structures to thousands of years.

Watch this short video then answer the questions below.

Question 7

What type of dating method in dendrochronology?

Chronometric

Relative

Radiocarbon

Question 8

In the video, the researchers were trying to correlate the size of the tree rings with what environmental

variable?

Time of first frost

Streamflow

Temperature

Humidity