ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATING TECHNIQUES.pptVIP

ARCHAEOLOGICAL DATING TECHNIQUES SIR MORTIMER WHEELER“New archaeology” excavated urban centers layer by layer “The important thing is that the archaeologist must know his dates and how to use them; recorded dates where they are valid and unwritten dates where geological or physical or chemical or botanical science can win them from the earth.” RELATIVE /ABSOLUTE RELATIVE TECHNIQUES Stratigraphy and Seriation Typology and Cross Dating Fluorine Obsidian Hydration Pollen Analyses ABSOLUTE TECHNIQUES Radio Carbon Dating Potassium Argon Dating Thermoluminescence Electron Spin Resonance Dendro-chronology RELATIVE DATING TECHNIQUES One of the most fundamental principles of archaeology is the Law of Superposition. The law states that strata that are younger will be deposited on top of strata that are older, given normal conditions of deposition. This law is the guiding principle of stratigraphy, or the study of geological or soil layers. Stratigraphy is still the single best method that archaeologists have for determining the relative ages of archaeological materials. RELATIVE DATING Relative dating is an invaluable tool, but does not tell us WHEN an event occurred, just the ORDER in which events occurred. The oldest technique for establishing the actual ages of deposits is to use artifacts of a known age. These can be coins with minting dates stamped on them, writings with dates included, or objects that we know were only manufactured during a certain time. SUPERPOSITION STRATIGRAPHY Stratigraphy is the study of strata, or layers. Specifically, stratigraphy refers to the application of the Law of Superposition to soil and geological strata containing archaeological materials in order to determine the relative ages of layers. In addition, stratigraphy can tell us much about the processes affecting the deposition of soils, and the condition of sites and artifacts THE LAYERS OF TROY SERIATION This technique places assemblages of artifacts into relative order. Petrie