Radiocarbon And Tritium Dating

Radiocarbon Dating: An Archaeological Perspective provides a review of some of the major advances and accomplishments of the 14C method from an archaeological perspective. The text also provides an introduction to some of the problems and issues involved in the use of 14C data in archaeological studies. The book covers topics in radiocarbon dating, including the elements of the radiocarbon method; definition of major anomalies and the different effects of the 14C method; and sample, sample pretreatment, and measurement techniques. The evaluation of radiocarbon data and the historical development of radiocarbon dating as a method that aids in archaeological studies are also discussed. The text is recommended for archaeologists who want to know more about the theories and principles behind radiocarbon dating, its techniques, and its application in their field. The book will also be good for physicists who want to work with archaeologists and apply their knowledge in radiocarbon dating.

This volume is a major revision and expansion of Taylor’s seminal book Radiocarbon Dating: An Archaeological Perspective. It covers the major advances and accomplishments of the 14C method in archaeology and analyzes factors that affect the accuracy and precision of 14C-based age estimates. In addition to reviewing the basic principles of the method, it examines 14C dating anomalies and means to resolve them, and considers the critical application of 14C data as a dating isotope with special emphasis on issues in Old and New World archaeology and late Quaternary paleoanthropology. This volume, again a benchmark for 14C dating, critically reflects on the method and data that underpins, in so many cases, the validity of the chronologies used to understand the prehistoric archaeological record.

The goal of this book is to examine the complex state of radioactivity in the environment, and to understand the interplay of its two principal sources: man-made and natural. The text examines human contributions to release of radionuclides, with an eye to future reductions, and assesses natural occurrences in an evaluation of baseline radioactivity.