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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page paper discusses various methods that are used to date archaeological finds. Bibliography lists 4 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVArcheo.rtf
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find out that while one civilization was already using iron, another was still using stone. It provides a way of understanding our world in detail. This paper discusses various methods
that are used to date archaeological finds. Discussion There are several dating processes available to archaeologists to help them determine the age of an artifact; there are also two
broad categories of dating: absolute dating and relative dating (Absolute dating, 2006). Absolute dating, as the name implies, "is the process of determining a specific archaeological date" (Absolute dating, 2006).
Such dating is the opposite of relative dating, a method based on stratigraphy, which is the "realization that deposits closer to the surface of the ground are generally younger than
more deeply buried deposits" (Absolute dating, 2006). However, the word "absolute" seems to imply a precision and certainty about the date that is rare, if not impossible, in archaeology, and
for that reason some scientists "prefer the terms chronometric or calendar dating" (Absolute dating, 2006). The techniques used for absolute dating "usually involve the physical or chemical properties of the
raw materials used to create artifacts, buildings, or other items that have been modified by humans" (Absolute dating, 2006). Absolute dates do not tell archaeologists precisely when something happened, but
they are "invaluable in constructing a more specific sequence of events" when they are "taken as part of the overall archaeological record" (Absolute dating, 2006). Two common methods of absolute
dating are radiocarbon dating and potassium-argon dating (Absolute dating, 2006). Radiocarbon dating is well-known, and is based on the decay rates of radioactive isotopes (Absolute dating, 2006). It works by
measuring the decay rate of carbon-14, which is an "unstable isotope of normal carbon," which is carbon-12 (Absolute dating, 2006). Carbon dating works because scientists know how long it takes
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