Over the years chemists, archaeologists, and other professionals have developed many different techniques to determine the age of uncovered objects. The techniques are very diverse, from the well known radio-carbon dating, or C14 dating, to the arcane dendrochronology (tree ring dating). The Minnesota State University, Mankato Anthropology Department has compiled a listing of specific dating techniques each with a page to explain the process used.

History

The history of the dating techniques varies for each individual type, but generally, it began when people began to discover objects of antiquity that they couldn't identify, which at the time were ancient monuments and the earliest dinosaur finds. Early techniques determined more ancient objects based on their relative depth. The deeper an object is found, the older it must be. One of the major breakthroughs in archaeological dating came at the end of the 1940s when Willard Libby determined that carbon-14 decays at a standard rate, and by measuring the amount of carbon -14 in an artifact, you can determine the age.

Uses in Archaeology

Dating is used to determine the ages of artifacts. The exactness of the determination is dependant on the conditions of the artifact, what artifacts are available, and detailed excavation notes.

Cost

Varies greatly by technique.

Links

Minnesota State University, Mankato's Dating Techniques
Radiocarbon Web