Dating Methods In Archaeology

Modern dating methods have revolutionized the placing in time of prehistoric events, and many earlier estimates have been completely revised: "the end of the Ice Age has been brought forward in time, the beginning of urbanization has been pushed back...." Yet there are still uncertainties and controversies, and a large number of archaeologists are not sufficiently well acquainted with the latest techniques. This book attempts to remedy the situation by discussing the technicalities of the tools presently available for accurate dating. The book opens with a detailed presentation of C14dating which includes a summary of its development and explanation of the method, information on collecting, packaging, labeling, and description of samples, pretreatments, laboratory methods, and interpretation of C14dates. Archaeological applications of tree-ring data as well as the methods involved in archaeomagnetic dating (which is rapidly becoming one of the significant methods of dating fire ceramic objects) and the thermoluminescent dating of pottery are then considered. Subsequent chapters treat the basic principles, sample-gathering methods, and measurement techniques of fission track dating, potassium-argon dating (it was K-Ar measurements on volcanic rock that first determined the exact age of certain hominoid remains discovered by L. S. B. Leakey in the Olduvai Gorge), and obsidian hydration dating—which has aroused great interest and enthusiasm due to its wide range of application in archaeological analysis and its low cost. While all of these techniques are still in the process of development and refinement, enough is known to make it imperative for archaeologists in the field and in the laboratory to be aware of them. This is essentially a fieldbook for "diggers": it will give the archaeologist enough information so that he collects and prepares his samples properly, and provides ample references so that he may further pursue each dating method.

Since World War II, there has been tremendous success in the development of new methods for dating artifacts; the so-called `radiocarbon revolution' was only the first such discovery. The increasing accuracy of the various new techniques has brought about major changes in archaeological research strategies. This important new text compiles the work of some of today's most innovative archaeologists who summarize progress in their respective techniques over the last 30 years - with an emphasis on developments of the last five - and the status of current research.

It is difficult for today's students of archaeology to imagine an era when chronometric dating methods were unavailable. However, even a casual perusal of the large body of literature that arose during the first half of the twentieth century reveals a battery of clever methods used to determine the relative ages of archaeological phenomena, often with considerable precision. Stratigraphic excavation is perhaps the best known of the various relative-dating methods used by prehistorians. Although there are several techniques of using artifacts from superposed strata to measure time, these are rarely if ever differentiated. Rather, common practice is to categorize them under the heading `stratigraphic excavation'. This text distinguishes among the several techniques and argues that stratigraphic excavation tends to result in discontinuous measures of time - a point little appreciated by modern archaeologists. Although not as well known as stratigraphic excavation, two other methods of relative dating have figured important in Americanist archaeology: seriation and the use of index fossils. The latter (like stratigraphic excavation) measures time discontinuously, while the former - in various guises - measures time continuously. Perhaps no other method used in archaeology is as misunderstood as seriation, and the authors provide detailed descriptions and examples of each of its three different techniques. Each method and technique of relative dating is placed in historical perspective, with particular focus on developments in North America, an approach that allows a more complete understanding of the methods described, both in terms of analytical technique and disciplinary history. This text will appeal to all archaeologists, from graduate students to seasoned professionals, who want to learn more about the backbone of archaeological dating.

Archaeologists and archaeology students have long since needed an authoritative account of the techniques now available to them, designed to be understood by non-scientists. This book fills the gap and it offers a two-tier approach to the subject. The main text is a coherent introduction to the whole field of science-based dating, written in plain langauge for non-scientists. Additional end-notes, however, offer a a more technical understanding, and cater for those who have a scientific and mathematical background.

This volume provides an overview of (1) the physical and chemical foundations of dating methods and (2) the applications of dating methods in the geological sciences, biology, and archaeology, in almost 200 articles from over 200 international authors. It will serve as the most comprehensive treatise on widely accepted dating methods in the earth sciences and related fields. No other volume has a similar scope, in terms of methods and applications and particularly time range. Dating methods are used to determine the timing and rate of various processes, such as sedimentation (terrestrial and marine), tectonics, volcanism, geomorphological change, cooling rates, crystallization, fluid flow, glaciation, climate change and evolution. The volume includes applications in terrestrial and extraterrestrial settings, the burgeoning field of molecular-clock dating and topics in the intersection of earth sciences with forensics. The content covers a broad range of techniques and applications. All major accepted dating techniques are included, as well as all major datable materials.

Professor Gräslund's book is the first in-depth study of systematic methods for dating archaeological materials.