What is absolute dating? Provide three examples.
uses scientific techniques to date an artifact based on its compositions
- radiocarbon
- thermoluminescence
- dendrochronology
What is relative dating? Provide three examples.
uses an artifact’s location or physical appearance
- stratigraphy
- seriation
- typology
What is another name for radiocarbon dating?
Carbon-14 dating
What requirements must an artifact meet for radiocarbon dating to work?
must be organic
How does radiocarbon dating work? (8)
- C14 produced in upper atmosphere where neutrons and N14 react to produce C14
- C14 is oxidized to create 14CO2, 12CO2, and 13CO2
- CO2 is used by plants for photosynthesis, C isotopes are absorbed, continued along food chain
- therefore, all organic life has both C12 and C14; while alive, ratio is C12:C14
- when living things die, tissue is no longer being replaced, and the radioactive decay of C14 becomes apparent
- in 5,730 years, only half of the C14 will be present
- if we know the ratio of C12:C14 at time of death, and measure the current ratio, we can calculate how much time has passed based on the above half life
- measured ‘before present’
What are four major drawbacks of radiocarbon dating?
- cannot date artifacts older than 55kya
- amount of C14 in the atmosphere varies over time
- extremely low abundance of C14 on earth and therefore in organic matter
- mostly irrelevant for historical archaeology
What is thermoluminescence? Provide two examples.
measures energy emitted after an object has been exposed to temperatures between 400-500 degrees Celsius
- firing of ceramics
- lava
What is optically stimulated luminescence? Provide an example.
- measures energy emitted after an object has been exposed to daylight
- anything buried that was at one point in direct sunlight
What is the most useful form of absolute dating for historical archaeologists?
dendrochronology
What are three drawbacks of dendrochronology?
- not all trees create one ring annually
- climates with little variation in seasons may not produce distinct patterns
- most importantly, even though we can potentially match up until the date the tree was felled, we cannot determine this was the date of its use at any given archaeological site
What are three examples of natural deposition processes?
- alluvial
- colluvial
- aeolian
What are three examples of human deposition processes?
- abandonment
- construction
- farming/gardening
What is the principle of superposition?
newer things will be deposited on top of older things
What is the principle of original horizontality?
assuming that originally, the layers and deposits were deposited in a horizontal way
What is the principle of lateral continuity?
if horizontal layers have been disturbed, that vertical slice does not interrupt horizontality on either side
What is a Harris matrix, and how does it work? (4)
recognizes three possible relationships between units of archaeological stratification
- no direct stratigraphic connection
- superposition
- correlated as parts of a once whole deposit or feature now separated
What are two examples of typological sequences?
- black-figure pottery: ~700 BC
- red-figure pottery: ~530 BC
What does terminus post quem mean?
limit after which
What does terminus ante quem mean? Provide two examples.
limit before which
- anything buried in the ash of Pompeii, buried by a volcano in 79 AD; the ash fell at this date, and is therefore the terminus ante quem
- Port Royal, Jamaica sunk several feet into the water during an earthquake in 1692; the terminus ante quem is 1692
What is seriation, and how does it work? (2)
- uses typologies to date a site
- artifacts are arranged according to the frequencies of their co-occurrence in specific contexts
How do seriation and formula dating help to interpret a site?
establishes a ‘mean date’ for a site
How did J.C. Harrington utilize seriation, and what did his studies reveal? (3)
noticed a relationship between pipe stem bore and age
- the earliest pipes had stems with 9/64” diameter bore by 1600, which decreased to 4/64” bore by 1800
- in other words, bore size decreased with time
How did Lewis Binford contribute to Harrington’s pipe stem bore study?
recognized the possibility of creating a formula to express this relationship
In addition to Binford, who has utilized formula dating?
Stanley South applied formula dating to ceramics at British North American sites
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Introduction41
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History of the Field31
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Documentary Evidence13
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Dating25
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The Basques31
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The French53
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The Spanish14
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The Dutch44
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The English59
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British North America & Port Royal41
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Archaeology of the Slave Trade & Slave Ships27
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Archaeology of Plantations, Race & Racialization22
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Archaeology of Holes41
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Archaeology of Military Sites25
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Shelburne Shipyard Steamboat Graveyard21
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Surveys & Remote Sensing22
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Field Schools4
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Historic Artifacts24
