How do archaeologists date artifacts?

The human race has existed for at least one hundred thousand years and maybe even longer. Writing, however, was invented only in 5000 BCE, and even few people were literate and archive methods were very bad. Therefore, information about about 99% of human history can only be obtained by studying artifacts and fossils. Understand where the artifact fits into the history scheme, requires dating with a reliable degree of accuracy. Fortunately, there are good methods to do so.

The earliest method of dating artifacts is to look at which layers of the rock found inside. To determine this, each layer of soil must be removed, a process known as extraction during an archaeological kick. Archaeological business is carried out very carefully to provide the most accurate results; This is often very time consuming and can take days, months or even years. Over the years, archaeologists have traveled their findings into large databases containing information on the types of artifacts that correspond to different civilizations, and the types of land in whichthey usually found.

typology

Another method for dating artifacts is called typology , which simply means studying types. In typology, the researcher studies the artifact material, its forms and its most likely purpose. Due to the technological necessity, more complex artifacts are newer than simpler artifacts, so the artifact can often be dated simply by searching for materials and the process used to produce it. If the artifact is from civilization that had written records, dating is even easier, because there are existing text tracks about which artifacts were created during which era.

Dating carbon-14

One of the most commonly used methods of dating artifacts is carbon-14 dating, also known as radiocarbon dating. This method only works only by organisms that were once alive more than 58,000 to 62,000 years ago. By beingThey date a sample of the organism found in the original found artifact, archaeologists can learn information about the time period and history of the artifact.

organisms take carbon-14 naturally when they are alive, but when they die, they stop absorbing it. Carbon-14 has a half-life of 5,000 years, so it slowly decomposes and its frequency decreases when organic material is buried. Determination of the exact amount of carbon-14 in the sample can provide a very close approximation date of creation of the artifact.